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In This Issue:
Transforming Care at the Bedside
“I know you. Your name is Lourdes, and you’re caring for my mother.” That is how the family member of a patient last month introduced herself to Lourdes Bastien, a patient care assistant on Tower 16AB. Bastien was a familiar face since her photo was on the communication board inside her mother’s room.
The patient communication board, which lists members of a patient’s care team, the patient’s daily schedule and individual goals, is one of several new patient-centered innovations springing from BWH’s participation in the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s Transforming Care at the Bedside (TCAB) program.
BWH is the only New England hospital, and one of only 13 hospitals nationwide, selected by IHI to participate in the TCAB initiative. This grassroots pilot program was launched in Orthopedics in September with physicians, nurses, PCAs, unit coordinators, physical therapists, and others brainstorming ideas to improve the quality of patient care and streamline care delivery. The staff on both Tower 16AB and 15CD are participating in the design and testing work with Thomas Thornhill, MD, chairman of Orthopedic Surgery, as a sponsor, and co-leaders John E. Ready, MD, chief of Orthopedic Oncology, and Jacinta Telesford-Ximba, RN, nurse manager, Tower 16AB.
In addition to patient communication boards, TCAB prototypes or experiments include peace and quiet time, daily team huddles and passing the baton at shift change when nurses going off shift personally introduce oncoming nurses to their patients. These initiatives are aimed at improving the quality of patient care and customer service, making BWH care teams more efficient and effective, and improving staff satisfaction.
“Patient-centered initiatives are our key themes and we’re looking at the entire care process to find new ways to honor the whole patient and their family, respect individual values and choices and ensure quality and continuity of care,” Barbara Bauman, RN, MS, director of Surgical Nursing, said.
“We were unaware of the large impact that simple ideas could have,” said Telesford-Ximba. “For the staff, it’s an opportunity to be creative, and for patients, providing input helps achieve satisfaction with their care.”
TCAB is part of the “big picture” for BWH and its mission to become as well known for service excellence as it is for clinical care, research and education, said Dorothy Goulart, MS, RN, director of Performance Improvement in BWH’s Center for Clinical Excellence.
TCAB experiments will continue through at least April 2006, as the Orthopedic staff work on refining and improving current initiatives, as well as creating and testing other innovations.