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
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