SLNI Grand Opening

 

Help us celebrate the Grand Opening of Saint Luke's Neuroscience Institute by attending an open house and tour of the new facility!

 

Thursday, Jan. 10

7 - 9 a.m. and 4 - 6 p.m

 

Light refreshments will be served.

 

Grand Opening fun fact

 

There are 88 miles of cabling in the new facility. That's enough to stretch from SLH to the KCI airport and back... twice!

 

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Janet Emerson named Employee of the Month for December

 

Janet Emerson, December Employee of the Month

As Janet Emerson of East-7 Medical/Surgical celebrates over twenty years with SLH, her peers are happy to highlight her amazing accomplishments.

 

Teamwork: Emerson is a key member of several nursing teams. She is a charge nurse and tenured leader on the night shift. She has been part of the Shared Governance leadership group on her unit for many years, and is also a member of the hospital's Nursing Guidelines and Documentation Committees, assisting with development and review of numerous policies and documents. Any special assignment she receives from the chair is completed in a timely manner. She is a member of the Nursing Practice Council, where her work with the DVT Advisory Team began with practice challenges surrounding implementation of appropriate DVT prophylaxis. Working on a medical/surgical unit with a majority of patients at risk for DVT, Emerson's involvement directly affects the patients she cares for on a daily basis. In addition, being a member of the Nursing Practice Council has allowed her to contribute to decision-making for numerous years, culminating in her selection as clinical co-chair from 2010-2011. She facilitated the patient care decisions made in Practice Council to the staff education completed by MCET members on the unit level. Being a member of both councils at the same time made her ideal in this role.

 

Quality/Excellence: Emerson demonstrates high levels of quality in everything she does. She was a hospital pioneer in DVT prophylaxis by chairing the first DVT Advisory Team, looking at issues such as availability of SCDs (sequential compression devices) on units and collaborating with physicians to order the appropriate prophylaxis for at-risk patients.

 

Customer Focus: Customer focus through holistic, high-quality care is a goal Emerson achieves with every interaction with patients and families. She was an inaugural member of the Customer Focus Perspective Leader group while she was clinical co-chair of MCET. This group is comprised of bedside nursing leaders as well as nursing management. They have worked on initiatives such as the admission packet patients receive when they are first accessing SLH for care. She also addressed the challenge of low return on post-hospitalization patient satisfaction surveys. Emerson is an active supporter of "Push My Button," a campaign developed for patients and families to call nursing staff for any needs, which both prevents patient injuries/falls and increases patient satisfaction. She has shown with her words and actions that she welcomes patient contact and that it is not a "bother," as patients often believe.

 

Learning and Innovation: Emerson has oriented more new nurses than we can count in her tenure at SLH and is looked to as an expert nurse in her unit. She has served as one of East-7's HED super-users, helping teach and acclimate all staff to the electronic medical records. She is a life-long learner, taking advantage of continuing education opportunities at SLHS as well as from other local and national venues. She took the Certified Medical-Surgical Nurse (CMSRN) certification exam the first time it was offered and passed, and she has maintained this nursing certification since 2005.

 

Stewardship: Emerson serves as an exemplary steward for her unit and the hospital. She has picked up numerous shifts to help out her unit when they have needed it as well as volunteered to come off of scheduled shifts to accommodate flexing flows of patient census. She utilizes materials and resources available to her in a very prudent manner. Her nursing experience and knowledge of hospital policy and procedure allows her to work efficiently, thereby controlling costs. She is innovative in her thinking and never hesitates to offer ideas for change, even when they involve the bottom line. Her focus is always on optimal patient outcomes. She is a true advocate for the patients she cares for.
    

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A note of thanks

 

On behalf of the Infant Loss and Grief Support Team, I would like to thank those who gave their time to help during the Annual Worldwide Candle Lighting Ceremony on Dec 9. Special thanks to chaplain resident Judy Sneegas and guest vocalist Jaushlin Nash. You each possess a true gift and we appreciate your willingness to share your talents. Also, a big thank you to each team member who attended and did his or her part to make the ceremony a success.

 

- Brea Bradley, RNCIV, Labor and Delivery

 

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Subject matter experts identified to assist with Epic installation

 

The implementation of Saint Luke's new electronic health record system, Epic, is progressing to the next step as more than 250 subject matter experts (SMEs) have been identified throughout the health system. The SMEs will begin working with the Epic project team on Jan. 7, 2013.

 

"The SMEs are integral to the design and implementation of the Epic system as they will bring crucial knowledge about their areas of clinical practice, which will provide valuable input and assistance with all aspects of the project," said Todd Hatton, chief applications officer.

 

In addition to providing expertise, the SMEs will participate in a series of validation sessions where they will be able to see the system's functionality and model workflows. This will allow the Epic team to make the appropriate adjustments so the system can function exactly as needed.

 

"This group will also help serve as ambassadors for the project back to their individual areas so they can communicate details about the project, how workflows will be handled, timing, etc.," said Diane Trimble, system director, Nursing Informatics. "As the project progresses, they will continue to be involved through testing, training, and the live launch."

 

Saint Luke's announced plans for implementation of the new electronic health record system, Epic, during a health system leadership meeting on Oct. 31. Design and build for the first phase of the Epic system will take place throughout 2013 and will go live in the first quarter of 2014 for metro hospitals (including Crittenton, Cushing, and Smithville).

 

Guiding principles for the Epic implementation project include:

 

• Commitment to quality and patient safety
• Well-planned and efficient implementation
• Integrated systems and standardized procedures
• Frequent communication targeted to those who need it most
• Collaborative and creative problem-solving
• Timely, definitive decision-making

 

Support for Horizon Clinicals will continue uninterrupted, although most of the support will be outsourced during this time as Saint Luke's Information Services staff works on the Epic implementation. Questions about the new system can be directed to the Epic Leadership Team via email at Epicslhs@saint-lukes.org. Further information can be found on Sharepoint, under the SLHS Site Epic Implementation, or by clicking here.

 

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'Tis the season - happy holidays!

 

How to be happier with caution!

 

Holidays can be a time of increased cyber scams and malicious software passed on to unsuspecting online users. Cyber scams often takes the form of email attachments (showing cute holiday pictures or videos) or web links enticing you to click. While these may seem fun, they can expose SLHS and your home to dangerous infections on your computer. Remember every "good thing" has a bad look-alike scam as a trick. Scammers want your holiday money, too!

 

Here are some safety tips for holiday scams to be on the lookout for:

 

Holiday Scam	Safety Tip
Passing around emails or websites with holiday music, pictures, or videos (that actually contain viruses to infect your computer).	Keep antivirus software up to date. View content with a critical eye and avoid downloading from file-sharing websites. If you don't recognize the sender, don't even open the email, and certainly don't click on links or open file attachments.
Holiday e-cards.	These are prime targets for sending viruses.
Gift cards or purchasing online from unknown retailers, unsecure websites, and online resellers (e.g. phony classified ads).	Make sure you use well-known websites and companies for online purchases. Don't click on links within emails - go to the website yourself! Be careful if they ask for too much information or want money transferred via Western Union.
"Too good to be true" offers - hugely discounted offers could be scams, especially for high-demand items.	Avoid companies and websites that are not well- known.
Contributions/charities that sound like a good cause but are not clear about their purpose or work and may offer tax receipts for more than you actually donate.	Donate only through a safe and secure site. Again, only well-known, reputable sites should be used.
The "Home Alone" (like the movie) or "Not At Home" syndrome - avoid TMI (too much information) on social media sites like Facebook about plans for the holidays.	Don't advertise when you will be gone and give thieves a potential target. Don't share too much online about your travel plans.
Fake coupons.	Avoid "too good to be true" offers, and use well-known sites.

 

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Ensuring the proper use of intravenous diphenhydramine

 

Because of its wide range of uses and availability in both intravenous and oral dosage forms, diphenhydramine is commonly found on patients' profiles for as-needed administration. Recent articles point out there are also a number of inappropriate uses for diphenhydramine, and it may have abuse potential. As a result of increased misuse in the community, nursing staff may be challenged with differentiating between appropriate and inappropriate use when diphenhydramine is requested by inpatients.

 

As an antihistamine and anti-muscarinic agent, diphenhydramine is commonly used to treat pruritis, allergic reactions and allergies, extrapyramidal side effects, nausea and vomiting, vertigo, and insomnia in select patients. Diphenhydramine has been reportedly abused for its sedative and hallucinogenic properties and effect on neurotransmitters that can elevate mood (by blocking serotonin reuptake), decrease pain (by increasing norepinephrine and stimulating opioid receptors) and induce euphoria (by increasing dopamine release and decreasing reuptake). Misuse has also been identified in patients taking anti-psychotic medications to counteract the anti-dopaminergic activity of the anti-psychotic. In addition to abuse as a single agent, diphenhydramine can be used to potentiate the effects of other drugs of abuse such as opioids, cocaine, and methaqualone.

 

An oral preparation should be utilized in non-emergent situations when possible to reduce the risk of misuse, as intravenous administration increases the reinforcing effects due to the high lipophilicity of diphenhydramine, allowing it to easily cross the blood-brain barrier and creating the feeling of euphoria. When administered as an intravenous push, diphenhydramine should not be administered at a rate faster than 25 mg per minute to decrease the incidence of euphoria associated with intravenous administration. The maximum recommended cumulative dose in a twenty-four hour period is 400 mg. Patients identified as being at an increased risk for misuse include patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, depression, panic attacks, personality disorder, or substance abuse. Serious adverse effects can result from the misuse of diphenhydramine including increased effects of drugs of abuse as well as tachycardia, anticholinergic syndrome, rhabdomyolysis, agitation, hallucinations, tremor, convulsions, delirium, coma, and death. Many adverse effects can increase the risk of falls during inpatient stays. To ensure safe and appropriate use in the hospital it is important to utilize diphenhydramine only for the prescribed indication and to contact the physician prior to using it for another indication.

 

References available upon request.

 

- Submitted by Stephanie A. Burton, Mark Woods, Jennifer Elliott, and Michelle Smith on behalf of the Pain Committee

 

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