The AAMC Nursing Blog

Archive for August, 2009

Consumer Reports has ranked Anne Arundel Medical Center as the top hospital in Maryland, based on HCAHPS survey data measuring patients’ perceptions of their hospital experience.

The ranking comes just one month after AAMC was named the sole Maryland hospital to receive the HealthGrades 2009-2010 Outstanding Patient Experience Award, based upon the same HCAHPS survey.  (HealthGrades is an independent health care ratings organization.)

Information supplied to hospitals through the HCAHPS survey is extremely important because the responses to the surveys come directly from the patients we treat.

A national, standardized survey administered through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the HCAHPS survey asks discharged patients questions about their experience at a hospital.  During the survey, patients are asked how their physician and nurses communicated with them, how responsive hospital staff was to their needs, the quality and clarity of any discharge instructions, and how clean and quiet the hospital was during their stay.  Also important, the survey guages how likely patients would be to recommend a hospital to a family member or friend.

AAMC is proud of our HCAHPS survey data, and we will continue to provide the safe, consistent, and quality patient care our region has come to trust.

In the Spring 2009 issue of AAMC Magazine, we highlighted the story of Janna Zuber, a Mitchellville resident who lost her son Justin to “sudden sniffing death syndrome,” a condition that can occur on the first, fifth, tenth, or hundreth time someone abuses an inhalant – a practice known as “huffing.”

Janna’s story calls attention to a problem outlined a recently-released report by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, released on March 16, 2009.   While the study highlights some positive trends in the rate of adolescent inhalant use, the study also exposes the dangers of inhalants.

• In 2007, 17.2 percent of youths identified inhalants as the first drug they used, a rate that remained stable since 2002.
• More than 1 million adolescents used inhalants in 2007.
• The study found adolescents abusing aerosols, nitrous oxide, lighter fluid, shoe polish, spray paint, and paint solvents.

Inhalants can be lethal, but they can also cause a host of irreversible effects including hearing loss, limb spasms, and damage to the central nervous system that may impact a person’s ability to walk, talk, or perform simple tasks.

For years, parents have battled familiar opponents: marijuana, alcohol, cocaine, and even prescription drugs.  But now, parents must remain vigilant against an entirely new drug of choice among teenagers curious to experiment with substances – found in the home – that they may view as harmless.

To help parents on the right track to awareness and how they can educate their children, AAMC has posted a new podcast titled “The Youth Movement,” which discusses inhalants and their dangers.  In the podcast, Helen Reines, R.N., executive director of Pathways, AAMC’s drug and alcohol treatment center, provides parents a list of warning signs, helpful hints at identifying a potential problem, and how to get help if you think your child may need it.

On April 15, 2009, the New York Times discussed the rising cost of cancer medications and the impact this can have on the patients that rely on these medications to save their life.

Now, months later, prescription drugs – and those benefitting from them – are positioned squarely in the national spotlight as the health care reform debate continues across America.

According to Times’ reporter Andrew Pollack, “Pills and capsules are the new wave in cancer treatment, expected to account for 25 percent of all cancer medicines in a few years, up from less than 10 percent now.”

But how can we keep these medications affordable to those that truly need them?

Barry Meisenberg, M.D., medical director of the AAMC DeCesaris Cancer Institute, recently joined WYPR 88.1 FM, Baltimore’s National Public Radio to discuss health care reform and what it may mean to the thousands of Maryland residents living with cancer.  And he brought along a special guest – one of his own patients.  Listen here.

Little patients are a big deal at AAMC.

Improving care for this very special patient population is part of our Vision 2010 strategic plan, formulated to meet the needs of AAMC’s patients, staff and community.

In Fall 2011, AAMC will celebrate the opening of a dedicated Pediatric ED and Pediatric Inpatient Unit, located in the first floor of the new patient care tower. Staffed by an expert team of AAMC’s pediatric and emergency health care providers, this state-of-the-art space will allow us to better streamline our pediatric patient care and enhance collaboration among staff.

Design changes were guided by current evidence-based quality improvement principles and benchmarks for safe, timely, efficient, cost-effective care. This strategically designed space will include eight in-patient beds, eight emergency beds, a pediatric treatment room for in-patient procedures, two waiting rooms and a large nautically themed playroom.

Pediatric and emergency physicians and nurses will work closely in caring for patients throughout the course of their hospital stay. “The new combined Pediatric Emergency Department and Inpatient Unit will care for children with a wide spectrum of conditions, ranging from minor illness and injury to more serious medical conditions,” says Mike Clemmens, M.D., pediatric  hospitalist.

Using a new staffing model, members of the pediatric health care team will be trained to work throughout the pediatric space. “Pediatric staff may work one night on the ED side and the next night on the Inpatient side,” says Lacher. “This will enhance collaboration among our staff and will allow our patients and their families to see the synergy between our health care providers as they move through the hospital.”

“The development of a family-focused pediatric care delivery model, designed to provide easy movement and collaboration between emergency and inpatient care, is both exciting and challenging,” says Janice Drum, M.S.N., R.N., clinical director of the Emergency Department. “The process of integration is well under way: a team of physicians and nurses see pediatric patients several times a week in a ‘virtual’ Pediatric ED, housed in the current ED. This provides a safe and effective venue to develop and trial processes related to flow, as well as a training ground for physicians and nurses.”

An interdisciplinary team of physicians and nurses is continually working to make the transition to our new pediatric space as smooth as possible. A special thank you goes out to these dedicated health care providers: Mike Clemmens, M.D., Janice Drum, M.S.N., R.N., Dina Esterowitz, M.D., Misa Ewing, M.S.N., M.B.A., R.N., Dana Garver, M.S.N., R.N., Ken Gummerson, M.D., Carol Lacher, R.N., Sherry Perkins, Ph.D., R.N., Henry Sobel, M.D., Teresa Swift, R.N., and Margaret Wyatt, B.S.N., R.N., F.N.E.-A.

Looking ahead, this expansion is a big deal for our little patients. We’re not only  making room for advanced medical technologies and skilled staff, but maintaining AAMC’s culture of excellence through our ability to offer exceptional pediatric care.

On June 12, AAMC nurses, physicians, and ancillary staff gathered for a multidisciplinary retreat, celebrating the second year of our Nursing Strategic Plan. Lively group discussions focused on moving forward with our current strategic plan, a Magnet overview and gap analysis, and the announcement of two new strategic initiatives: Commitment to the Community and Cultural Diversity & Workplace Advocacy.

Commitment to the Community will be lead by Misa Ewing, M.S.N., M.B.A., R.N., senior director of Women’s and Children’s Services, and Emily Groves, B.S.N., R.N., C.M.S.R.N., staff nurse on MSU. This initiative will focus on how we, as an organization, can give back to our community through our time and talents.

AAMC has entered into a partnership with the Lighthouse Shelter, a homeless prevention support center located just a few miles away on West Street in downtown Annapolis. For over two decades, this organization has been a beacon of hope for our community’s residents and their families.

Harry Cole, the Executive Director of the Lighthouse Shelter, expressed his delight in this partnership during the NSP Retreat. He spoke of the unmet needs in our community and the knowledge and caring that we, as nurses and AAMC employees, can provide to a population in need.

This initiative will provide the opportunity for our staff to reach out, to give of themselves, thus enriching their lives and the lives of others. Staff have the incredible opportunity to help build a stronger future for our neighbors and their families.

Cultural Diversity and Workplace Advocacy will be lead by Sherri Morgan-Johnson, M.H.S.A., R.N.,  director of Care Management, and Jackie Jackson, R.N., staff nurse on PCU. This initiative will bring our organization, employees and patients to an awareness and understanding of the diverse environment in which we live and work.

AAMC employs and serves people of many cultures, races and ethnicities. As an organization who seeks to embrace diversity and change, we will focus time and attention on acknowledging both differences and similarities amongst employees and patients. Through this initiative, we will take an introspective look at our current practice and make the changes necessary to provide culturally competent care to each and every one of our patients.

This would be the first blog entry.