Center eNurse “How to”
For nurses new to MedStar Washington Hospital Center, here are a few things you should know about Center
eNurse. The publication is emailed to all nurses every other Wednesday and includes information that will
help you do your job.
If you read it at work on your computer or on StarPort (at StarPort > Nursing > Newsletters), the interactive
buttons will take you to archived information. To use this function, click on the hot buttons under the Center
eNurse masthead (hot topics, pharmacy, clinical/regulatory, education/research, patient care/products, PI
teams, kudos). To return to the homepage, click on the Center eNurse masthead.
For those of you who would prefer to read Center eNurse on paper, a printable version is always attached to the
email and, beginning today, a copy will be delivered to your unit to be posted.
If you want to read it at home, you also can find the newsletter on the MedStar Washington Hospital Center
website at http://www.whcenter.org/hrjwt_template_0.cfm?id=558637.
If you have any suggestions for Center eNurse, please email [email protected] or call 202-877-0201.
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
A Message from Sue Eckert
Dear Nursing Colleagues:
Nurses know that good communication is essential to everything we do. If we
are unsure about a physician’s order, we ask for clarification. We listen to our
patients' needs, and effectively communicate to them what we are doing to meet
those needs.
An ongoing dialogue between our front-line nursing associates and nursing
leadership is equally essential. It helps those of us in leadership to better
understand areas of strength within our nursing organization, as well as our
opportunities for improvement. When we look at our results, we can improve
the quality of work-life at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, and make
everyone's experience more satisfying.
In March, MedStar Health and the Hospital Center will conduct an associate engagement survey. Please take
the time to participate, as we take your input very seriously. The information we received from the
September, 2010 survey resulted in a number of changes that, according to our pulse-check last April, led to
significant gains in nurse engagement. Still, we are not yet where we want to be, and need to hear from you in
order to be certain we are on the right path.
I urge you to participate in this electronic survey beginning March 4. Go to
www.MedStarAssociateSurvey.org to take the survey. The results are completely confidential.
Thank you in advance for your honest feedback.
Sue
HOT TOPICS
Legislation Update
We have made progress in reaching out to D.C. City Council members about our opposition to the newly
introduced bill which would mandate nurse-to-patient ratios in all hospitals in the city, 24/7, no exceptions.
We oppose this legislation because of the long-term consequences, which include:
•
A threat to non-nursing staff positions
•
A threat to patients’ access to care
•
A threat to the team approach we have worked so hard to build
We are continuing to voice our strong opposition to this bill, and below is a quick update on our outreach and
education efforts.
•
Meetings with city council members. Leaders from our hospital, other city hospitals and the District of
Columbia Hospital Association have met with each of the members of the D.C. City Council and other
community leaders. We have explained the impact of this bill on jobs and patients’ access to care. They
have been receptive, and are beginning to gain an understanding of the effects on jobs and services. We
will continue to meet with them and with other leaders throughout the city to provide our perspective
on this potentially destructive legislation.
•
Ongoing communications. We have been in continuous communication with members of our board,
our physicians, leaders and associates to provide updates and background information.
We appreciate you taking the time to read this information to help you better understand our position and the
importance of defeating this bill. If you have questions, please speak with your nursing director.
Submitted Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013
Coming Soon: The MedStar 2013 Associate
Survey—March 4 to 24.
New for the 2013 survey:
•
Survey Name: The Employee Survey is now referred to as the Associate Survey to better align with
MedStar Health’s adoption of “associate” into our culture and communications.
•
Focus on Engagement: One of the most significant changes is the shift from focusing on satisfaction to
engagement. The pulse survey focused on engagement, and this is a more formal move to measure
engagement system-wide. An engaged workforce is motivated, enabled and energized to deliver its best
performance and the highest quality of care.
•
Time of Year: The survey now takes place in the spring (instead of the fall), on opposite years of the
Survey on Patient Safety Culture (2013 Associate Survey, 2014 Survey on Patient Safety Culture).
HOT TOPICS
•
Online: Based on your feedback, and to parallel other surveys at MedStar Health, the survey is
online—MedStarAssociateSurvey.org
•
Fewer Questions: Part of the review process for the survey included an evaluation of survey questions.
The survey questions were streamlined, condensing the total number of questions from 84 to 48. Your
time is valuable. The reduction in questions results in almost half the time to complete the survey—
from 30 minutes to approximately 15 minutes. The option to provide written feedback is still available
and we look forward to hearing your opinions. In 2010, we received almost 28,000 comments.
•
New Results and Action Planning Tools: The most important work happens when we get the results of
the survey, and what is done with those results. Because the survey is online, results will be shared
sooner. In the coming months, look for interactive result reports, snapshot reports for department
managers, and on-demand tools for interpreting data. Following the results rollout, new action
planning tools and resources will be available to help leaders develop and implement processes to
maintain and/or improve engagement.
Starting Monday, March 4, visit MedStarAssociateSurvey.org to share your opinions about MedStar Health
and MedStar Washington Hospital Center. Instructions you can use to take the survey are attached.
Submitted Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013
NEW! MedConnect II – Mark Your Calendars!
March is almost here, and we are just five months away from our MedConnect II Go-Live, scheduled for the
end of July.
To help you plan, here are important dates for all associates to put on the calendar:
•
March: MedConnect II Super Users will be identified
•
April: Sign Up for MedConnect II Training
•
May: Trainer and Super User Training Begins
•
June: Training Continues
•
July: Training Continues
•
Friday, July 26: Scheduled Go Live (Note: this day may move slightly)
HOT TOPICS
MedConnect adds new applications to our Electronic Health Record implemented in MedConnect I.
MedConnect II connects clinicians within our hospital and across hospitals in the MedStar Health system with
real-time patient data. Physicians, nurses, pharmacists, therapists, dieticians and other clinical support staff will
document patient care and share information in a single electronic patient record.
Submitted Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013
Brown Phone Testing on Friday, March 8
The Communications Center and the Emergency Preparedness Committee will test the back-up phone system
(Brown Phones) on Friday, March 8, from 8 to 10 a.m. Please make sure the Brown Phone in your work area is
plugged in and answered when it rings during the testing time. The caller will ask you to identify your location
and confirm that the phone is working. Please report any problems, including if your Brown Phone is not
called, to April Thomas at ext. 7-0472.
Submitted Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013
Expert Usability Evaluations
The MedStar Institute for Innovation - National Center for Human Factors Engineering in Healthcare
(http://medicalhumanfactors.net) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are looking for RN volunteers
with clinical experience in hemodialysis or ultrafiltration for Expert Usability Evaluation.
The MedStar Center is seeking 12 nurses to assist with expert user evaluation of a potential new medical
device. One hour evaluation sessions, outside of your normal work schedule, will be conducted from Monday,
March 4, through Friday, March 15, at the location of your choice (MedStar Washington Hospital Center or
Intelsat Building, 4000 Connecticut Ave, near Van Ness Metro). Compensation for your participation will be
provided. If you are interested in the opportunity to volunteer on this project, please contact Nicoleta Parau,
MedStar Human Factors Engineering, at [email protected] or 202-244-9810.
Submitted Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013
HOT TOPICS
Nurses’ Emotional Response and Disclosure of
Errors Following Mistakes in Clinical Practice
Survey
Don’t forget to participate in the brief survey about nursing errors conducted by Ellen Swartwout RN, MSN,
NEA-BC, a student in the George Mason University (GMU) School of Nursing PhD program. Pat McCartney,
RN, PhD, director, Nursing Research is partnering as a sub-investigator. The survey is open until tomorrow,
Thursday, Feb. 28. Instructions are attached. Supporting this survey will help us all promote patient safety. For
questions about the study, please contact Ellen at http://chhs.gmu.edu/nursing/index.cfm. For questions about
partnering, please contact Pat McCartney, [email protected].
Submitted Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013
Workplace Violence
Incidents of violence are increasing in the workplace. According to the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA), health care and social service workers are at high risk of violent assault at work.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2001). Survey of Occupational Injuries and
Illnesses, 2000.
MedStar Washington Hospital Center administration and the Department of Nursing (DON) are committed
to providing associates a safe working environment, which includes zero tolerance for workplace violence,
verbal and nonverbal threats and related actions. Nurse representatives are actively participating in a housewide Hospital Center needs assessment of our current risk status and the development of appropriate
strategies to address any issues identified. De-escalation training of DON associates has already occurred in
some of the higher-risk locations. Additional information regarding action steps to reduce the likelihood and
or incidents of workplace violence will be provided soon. If you have any suggestion or ideas for this team,
please contact [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], or
[email protected]
Submitted Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013
PHARMACY
National Shortages of Multiple Parenteral
Nutrition Ingredients
Sporadic and ongoing nutrient shortages continue to affect patients receiving parenteral nutrition (TPN). Each
day, an average of 85 MedStar patients, including 15 neonates and pediatric patients, receive TPN prepared by our
sterile compounding pharmacy.
At this time, the stock of phosphate, acetate, calcium gluconate, adult trace elements and IV lipids are quickly
diminishing. As with other recently publicized drug shortages, there are only one or two U.S. manufacturers of
each of these critical nutrients. Various production lines have been temporarily stopped at one company by the
FDA, shifting the burden of providing these products to the other company, resulting in a nationwide backorder of
these ingredients. To date, the two vendors are unable to give us reliable anticipated release dates.
Based on the American Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN) guidelines for managing through
these shortages, we have implemented some conservation strategies. The TPN task force has asked providers to
consider the following additional measures so we may continue to provide these ingredients to our most
vulnerable patients (neonates and pediatric patients) for as long as possible.
Providers are being asked to implement the following constraints where possible for their adult patient
populations:
•
Provide oral supplementation and decrease or eliminate ingredients where feasible (e.g., phosphates, trace
elements, calcium)
•
Decrease the amount of phosphorous ordered by at least 50 percent
•
Shift “salts” used to provide acetate, based on which salt is most readily available (currently sodium
acetate) and minimize acetate usage
•
Provide IV calcium outside of TPN administration, i.e., calcium chloride mini-bags
The following strategies have already been implemented:
•
Adult trace elements have been decreased across the board to 50 percent of the usual daily dose.
•
Lipids have been decreased to 100 grams per week for adults, and are being withheld altogether in the first
few weeks of PPN therapy.
Submitted Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013
EDUCATION/RESEARCH
Wound and Ostomy Education
Please see attached information about Memorial Education Day at Suburban Hospital. The continuing education
offering is Saturday, March 16, from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. and is presented by the Wound Ostomy Continence
Nurses Society (WOCN).
Submitted Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013
MedStar Health Research Annual Symposium
All nurses are invited to the second Annual Symposium on Monday, March 4, from 4 to 7 p.m., at the Sheraton
Hotel in Columbia, MD (10207 Wincopin Circle, across from MedStar corporate headquarters). The symposium
includes research posters by MedStar investigators, research services exhibit tables, and a wine and hors d'oeuvres
networking session. Advanced registration is appreciated at http://www.confmanager.com/main.cfm?cid=2673,
but you can register at the door.
Submitted Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013
End of-Life Ethics Conference
Do you address end-of-life clinical ethics needs? If so, you are invited to The Annual DC, MD, VA Regional
Hospital Clinical Ethics Conference on Friday, March 29, at MedStar Washington Hospital Center. Register today
at www.medstarwashington.org/ethics.
Submitted Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013
PATIENT CARE/PRODUCTS
New Initiative: Patient Call Manager
As an initiative driven by MedStar Health, we will be implementing a new application from Studer, called the
Patient Call Manager (PCM) at MedStar Washington Hospital Center.
Patient Call Manager is an online application that will provide us with a new tool to complete post-discharge
patient calls. By following up with the patient the day after discharge, we can ensure that the patient comprehends
their discharge instructions and medication regimen. In addition, we are able to collect patient satisfaction data
and obtain specific feedback on how we can improve excellence throughout our organization. We will be going
live with this application on Feb. 28.
Submitted Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013
KUDOS
Author! Author!
Did you write or edit an article, a book chapter, a book or a journal published in 2012? Did you present a paper or
poster session at a conference in 2012? Are you a resident or fellow graduating in 2013, whose work will be
published this year? If the answer to any of these questions is “yes,” we want to recognize your scholarly activity at
the third annual Hospital Center Authors’ Day on Wednesday, April 17.
Please send us either the citation to your publication or a copy of it. There are no restrictions on where you have
published. Deadline for receipt of this information is Monday, March 11. Send article copies to the William B.
Glew, MD, Health Sciences Library (Room 2A-21), drop them off at the reference desk, or fax them to ext. 7-6757.
Any questions? Contact Fred King at [email protected] or ext. 7-6670.
Submitted Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013
Dear Colleague:
We invite you to attend a continuing education
offering presented by the Washington D.C. Affiliate
of the Wound Ostomy Continence Nurses Society
(WOCN). These lectures are dedicated to Mary
Allen, Kay Asconi, Ruth Kules, Patty Lucks, and
Janice Mentz, outstanding nurses from our region
who helped advance the care of patients and who
were an inspiration to us all. We hope to add to
your knowledge as they added to ours.
Sincerely,
Kelsey Skeffington
President DC WOCN Affiliate
Conference Planning Committee
Dorothy (Dot) Goodman BSN RN CWOCN
MedStar Georgetown University Hospital
Ann Williams BSN RN BC CWOCN CFCN
Reston Hospital Center
Melba Graves BSN RN CWOCN
Suburban Hospital
Carolyn d’Avis MSN RN CWOCN
ET Consultants, Inc.
Lyndan Simpson BSN RN CRRN CWCN CCCN
Shady Grove Adventist Hospital
Jane Zisserson RN
Washington Adventist Hospital
Eileen Braunlich BSN RN CWON
Lighthouse Home Health
Target audience: RNs and LPNs from Acute Care, Long
Term Care, Home Health, and Hospice
Visit our website at: www.wocndc.org for maps and
driving directions
Faculty
Linda Koch Adelson BSN RN CWOCN
Consultant in Private Practice
June Amling MSN RN CNS CWON CCRN
Children’s National Medical Center
Maria Paz Aquino RN ET CWON
Walter Reed National Medical Center
Linda Arundel BSN RN CWOCN
Inova Home Health
JOIN US FOR A DAY
OF WOUND AND
OSTOMY EDUCATION
Carolyn Corazza BSN RN CWOCN
ET Consultants, Inc.
Rene Cordrey PT PhD(c) MSPT MPH CWS
Geneses Rehab Services/ MedStar Georgetown
University Hospital
Linda D’Angelo BSN RN CWOCN
Carolyn d’Avis MSN RN CWOCN
ET Consultants, Inc.
Bob Ebeling BSN RN CWOCN
MedStar Washington Hospital Center
Theresa Emmell BSN RN CWOCN
Holy Cross Hospital
Debbie Engel BS RN CWOCN
MedStar Washington Hospital Center
Christine Jamison BSN RN WOCN
Inova Alexandria Hospital
Donna Johnson BSN RN CWON
United Medical Center
Rezia Lake BSN RN COCN CFCN
Holy Cross Hospital
Susie Serdensky MSN RN CWOCN
MedStar Washington Hospital Center
Carolyn Sorensen MSN RN CRRN CWOCN
MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital
Donna Stalters BSN RN CWOCN
MedStar Washington Hospital Center
Pamela Wagner-Cox BSN RN CWOCN
Inova Alexandria Hospital
Jane Zisserson RN
Washington Adventist Hospital
MEMORIAL EDUCATION
DAY
16 MARCH 2013
SUBURBAN HOSPITAL
7:00 AM – 5:00 PM
7:00 – 8:00
8:00 – 8:15
8:15 – 9:45
9:45 – 10:00
10:00 – 11:30
11:30 – 11:45
Registration
Welcome
Dot Goodman
Wounds
Carolyn d’Avis
Break
Ostomies
Christine Jamison
Transition to 1 st
breakout session
11:45 – 12:30
1 st Breakout Session
2:00 – 2:45
2nd Breakout Session
12:30 – 2:00
2:45 – 3:00
3:00 – 3:45
3:35 – 4:00
Lunch and Vendors
Transition to 3 rd
breakout session
3rd Breakout Session
Transition to mini lectures
4:00 – 5:00
Mini Lectures
1. Deep Tissue Injury
Pam Wagner-Cox
2. Bariatric Skin Issues
Donna Johnson
3. Incontinent Associated Dermatitis
Jane Zisserson
.
1st Breakout Session
Wound Care
Carolyn Sorensen
Rene Cordrey
Ostomy Care
Linda D’Angelo
Linda Koch Adelson
Negative Pressure Wound Therapy
Donna Stalters
Debbie Engel
Bob Ebeling
Susie Serdensky,
Pediatric Wound & Ostomy Care
June Amling
2nd Breakout Session
Wound Care
Carolyn Sorensen
Rene Cordrey
Ostomy Care
Linda D’Angelo
Linda Koch Adelson
Negative Pressure Wound Therapy
Donna Stalters
Debbie Engel
Bob Ebeling
Susie Serdensky
Leg Ulcers
Linda Arundel
Theresa Emmell
3rd Breakout Session
Wound Care
Carolyn Sorensen
Rene Cordrey
Ostomy Care
Linda D’Angelo
Linda Koch Adelson
Fistulas
Maria Paz Aquino
Rezia Lake
Tubes
Carolyn Corazza
This activity has been submitted to Maryland Nurses
Association for approval to award contact hours.
Maryland Nurses Association is accredited as an
approver of continuing nursing education by the
American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission
on Accreditation.
For more information regarding contact hours, please
call: Carolyn d’Avis RN, MSN, CWOCN @ 301-5293830
Registration Information
Cost: $30.00
$20.00 Suburban Hospital Employees
$20.00 Undergraduate Nursing
Lunch is included
Parking is free
Mail-in Registration
Make check payable to: WOCN DC Affiliate
Mail your completed registration form to:
Ann Williams
6442 Maplewood Drive
Falls Church, VA 22041
On-line Registration
You can register online at www.wocndc.org
Conference fee can be paid using PayPal
Deadline for registration is March 8th
Registration is available at the door but lunch
cannot be guaranteed