Environment of care. Organize to find your way through the maze

The Environment of Care and the Orientation, Training, and Education sections of the JCAHO manual will be important parts of the 1995 survey process. All departments must be able to describe their role in both programs, as well as demonstrate compliance with them. Staff knowledge of the two programs is also critical since 40-50% of the survey process will be devoted to asking staff members questions concerning their role in each of the two programs. Organizing the manual as described will force you to examine each section closely. As each section is completed, you will accomplish two goals. First, you have complied with the requirements because you have developed departmental programs geared towards EOC. Second, by developing these sections, you have created a basic training outline for your staff. If you organize and gather the data described in this article, the development of your training programs will be much easier. Most of you have all of the tools required to comply with both programs, but by organizing them in an efficient and orderly fashion, you will assure yourself a much easier time complying with the new EOC standards.