11210 research outputs found
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Inside Aurora Sinai Medical Center, 2002 March
No full textAurora Sinai Medical Center, Milwaukee, WI: Internal employee newsletter with workplace anniversaries, news, and events.https://institutionalrepository.aah.org/alldocuments/2239/thumbnail.jp
Inside Aurora Sinai Medical Center, 2003 February
No full textAurora Sinai Medical Center, Milwaukee, WI: Internal employee newsletter with workplace anniversaries, news, and events.https://institutionalrepository.aah.org/alldocuments/2248/thumbnail.jp
A study of patient recall and comprehension of genetic testing results in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
No full textObjective: Assess the accuracy of ALS patient recall of genetic testing results and evaluate comprehension of key implications of results.
Methods: Participants were recruited from the Center for Disease Control\u27s National ALS Registry. A survey collected participant demographics, their recollection of their genetic test result, and their understanding of the implications of their result. Comprehension was scored based on responses to key questions. Whenever possible, patient-reported test results were confirmed by review of their test report.
Results: Most participants (n = 246) were white (n = 238, 96.7%) with high health literacy. Among participants whose self-reported result could be validated, most 93/98 (94.9%) accurately recalled whether they received a positive, negative, or uncertain result. Among participants who reported positive results, 32/50 (64.0%) demonstrated understanding that their genetic testing results explained their ALS, while 38/50 (76.0%) accurately characterized the risk that first degree relatives carried the same variant. Among participants who reported negative results, 100/142 (70.4%) incorrectly indicated that their result ruled out a genetic cause. When asked about the risk for family members to develop ALS, 98/142 (69.0%) correctly characterized this residual risk. However, only 12/142 (8.5%), answered both questions correctly. Overall, participants who saw a genetic counselor were more likely to demonstrate high comprehension (p = 0.022).
Conclusions: The majority of participants demonstrated accurate recall of their ALS genetic testing result. However, deficits in understanding of key implications were identified, particularly among those with negative results. Participants who saw a genetic counselor had significantly better comprehension of their test results than those who did not
Language and health disparities: Examining colorectal cancer risk and colonoscopy utilization in non-English vs English-speaking populations
No full textFirst surgical epicardial implantation of an extravascular implantable cardioverter-defibrillator lead for Ebstein anomaly in the United States
No full textEngaging the Environmental Services Team to Improve Turnover Time in the Operating Room
No full textBackground
The operating room is a fast-paced environment that provides surgical, anesthesia and nursing services. Efficiency and optimization are a priority to provide safe and effective surgical care for the patients. In a suburban, Level 1 Trauma and teaching hospital, the operating room leaders collaborated with front-line nurses and environmental services personnel to look at opportunities to decrease turnover times and improve patient satisfaction.
Local Problem
Average turnover time is 43 minutes in the Operating Room and 31 minutes in the Ambulatory Surgery Center. Although there is no gold-standard on turnover times, Foster (2012) surveyed 134 hospitals and showed a range of 15 to 40 minutes with a median turnover time of 28.5 minutes.
Method
A Plan-Do-Study-Act method was used to assess the composition and responsibilities of each teammate. The turnover process was studied to identify inefficiencies. Leadership moved the environmental services team to report directly to the operating room for oversight and increase accountability. An in-depth training on surgical cleaning was provided.
Results/Conclusions
Electronic medical record analytics captured average turnover time. Post implementation, Main Operating Room turnover time decreased to 34 minutes while Ambulatory Surgery Center turnover time decreased to 27 minutes.
Implications for Practice
Improved turnover time improves patient safety and engagement by decreasing surgery wait time. The improvement also gives more time for nurses to focus on patient care and prepare for surgical cases
Sharper Focus, Safer Teams: Standardizing Sharps Injury Prevention Across Multiple Sites
No full textBackground:
Healthcare workers (HCWs) remain at risk for sharps injuries, which can lead to transmission of blood-borne pathogens such as HIV (Maina, 2024). Contributing factors include inconsistent safety practices, limited access to real-time data, and insufficient support. Evidence-based prevention strategies emphasize safety-engineered devices, ongoing education, and standardized protocols (Cheetham et al., 2019; Moshksar et al., 2023).
Local Problem:
In 2022, Advocate Health Illinois and Wisconsin reported 1,060 sharps injuries, with 433 involving nurses. Notably, many incidents occurred despite safety mechanisms. Injury rates did not improve in 2023, highlighting the lack of a standardized approach to sharps injury prevention, inconsistent access to best practices and data, insufficient risk awareness, variable device availability, and non-uniform post-injury procedures.
Methods:
A multidisciplinary team—including nursing educators, leaders, safety consultants, employee health, and supply chain representatives—developed and implemented a comprehensive sharps injury prevention toolkit and risk assessment tool. Interventions included revising sharps management processes, introducing an interactive dashboard for real-time data tracking, and deploying passive safety needles in high-risk units. A new database enabled trend analysis and targeted interventions, while staff engagement was fostered through professional governance structures and customized education.
Results:
Sharps injuries declined by 6% across Advocate Health Midwest over one year. Improved access to Employee Health resources contributed to a 99% reduction in unnecessary emergency department visits for HCWs with sharps injuries, with over 97% of cases managed remotely, thus preventing more than 1,200 in-person visits. The interactive dashboard facilitated continuous quality improvement and operational alignment. Standardization enhanced equity and consistency of care for HCWs.
Implications for Practice:
This initiative demonstrates that nursing executive leadership and cross-functional collaboration can achieve measurable improvements in HCW safety and operational efficiency. The project supports Total Worker Health principles and offers a scalable model for reducing sharps-related injuries through data-driven innovation and staff engagemen
Dynamic Partnerships: Inspiring Tomorrow\u27s Healthcare Heroes
No full textBackground/Introduction: Workforce gaps are predicted to increase by 2040 for RNs and other clinical professions. Healthcare organizations will need a diverse and well-prepared generation to enter the workforce. Programs aimed at introducing underrepresented adolescents to healthcare careers have been implemented to recruit this next generation. Clinical professionals who return to their underserved communities directly impact access and satisfaction of underrepresented populations.
Purpose: Healthcare Explorers Reaching Occupations (HERO) camps introduce diverse underrepresented adolescents to careers, aiming to build awareness and inspire future paths. Objectives include stimulating clinical career interest, understanding academic pathways, and networking with community partners.
Method or Evaluation: Nursing professional development specialists formed and led collaborative partnerships with external community adolescent empowerment organizations, volunteer services leadership, and multiple groups of diverse clinical professionals (nursing, laboratory, surgical services, rehabilitation therapies, imaging, respiratory therapy, simulation specialists, pharmacy). Seventeen diverse middle school girls and twenty-one Black and Latino high school boys attended the camps. Each discipline provided age-appropriate, interactive learning tailored to highlight the presenter’s clinical specialty and personal career journey. Participants rotated through stations to engage in hands-on skill stations like mock code, surgical removal of kidney stones, and blood pressure screening. Pre and post surveys were administered.
Results: Evaluations indicate a significant rise in interest in health care careers, with understanding of patient care increasing from 34.7% to 83.0% and knowledge of career options rising from 35.2% to 82.9%. Qualitative feedback shows high satisfaction with interactive sessions, engagement with healthcare professionals, and desires for future offerings and additional specialties.
Conclusions/Implications for Practice: Early exposure to healthcare occupations through programs like the HERO camp positively influence the future workforce. The camp can be adapted for both urban and rural youth through collaboration with community and educational organizations. Monitoring participant enrollment in post-secondary healthcare courses offers an opportunity to measure return on investment and workforce impact