CMH joins national patient care campaign

HUDSON – Columbia Memorial Hospital has joined more than 1900 other U.S. hospitals in adopting standards and benchmarks to ensure patient safety and prevent complications.
    Supported by the Institute for Health Care Improvement (IHI), the hospital’s goal is to continuously improve patient safety through a commitment to openness, review, constant assessment and upgrading of quality protocols. These evidenced-based best practices are making Columbia Memorial the hospital of choice for the region, according to a hospital spokesperson.
    The hospital safety program is led by V. Richard Back, MD, the hospital’s Medical Director, and Leitha Pierro, RN, VP of Patient and Clinical Services.
    According to Pierro, three major patient care initiatives have been instituted. Recently the hospital adopted a Rapid Response Team (RRT)  which will assist the nursing staff in quickly treating a patient whom the nurses have observed as having a change in condition. Once a nurse identifies any subtle change in a patient, the RRT is summoned to assess and stabilize the patient while the nurse notifies the attending physician.
    “The Rapid Response Team is available in-house 24 hours per day, 7 days a week and is composed of a team of skilled practitioners including a respiratory therapist, ICU nurse and hospitalist,” says Pierro.
    A hospitalist is an in-hospital physician who will respond and communicate with the attending physician, if the attending physician is not immediately available.
    “The team’s target response time is five (5) minutes or less,” says  Pierro.
    Upon arrival at the patient’s bedside, the team evaluates the situation and stabilizes the patient. If necessary, the patient will be prepared for transfer to an intensive care unit bed.
    According to Pierro, use of these teams of skilled practitioners was pioneered in the late 1980s in Australia. They are credited with decreasing cardiac arrests outside of the ICU by 50% and decreasing the death rate in patients who had an arrest by more than 20%.
    Research has shown that patients often exhibit signs and symptoms of some physiological instability for some time prior to an actual arrest. Columbia Memorial expects to see a decrease in the number of actual arrests in the non-ICU setting as changes in condition are recognized and treated more promptly.
    Pierro says: “ Most often, it is the hospital’s nurses who recognize these changes in our patients. With the RRT in place now, the nurses can activate an additional support system without delay until such a time when the attending physician can respond. Sometimes the nurse or other care giver is just ‘worried’ about the patient or the patient may suddenly seem anxious or confused. The subtle changes may be the reason for summoning the team.”
    Prevention of surgical site infections and blood stream infections are two other activities being monitored at Columbia Memorial. A multidisciplinary team of surgeons, nurses and pharmacists are carefully monitoring the timing of medication administration, appropriate hand hygiene, use of certain equipment and the attention to many other details which will reduce infection rates, according to Pierro.
    “For example, timing of antibiotic administration prior to surgery can affect the absorption, effectiveness and response to the medication. Therefore, Columbia Memorial protocols currently have been streamlined to include the administration of certain antibiotics by the anesthesiologist in the operating suite just prior to the start of surgery,” asserted Pierro.
    “Other improvements include utilizing clippers instead of razors in prepping the skin. Razors sometimes leave the skin raw and open to infection,” she says.
     Changes in practice have been introduced after the hospital’s medical staff has reviewed current research and studies from major medical centers across the country. As a result, Columbia Memorial can expect patients to have better coordination of care, shorter hospitalizations and improve patient outcomes and satisfactions, according to Pierro.

---

Events & News - Job Opportunities - Community Health - Kaaterskill Care - Hospital Foundation - Services
About The Hospital - Departments - Family Care Centers - Physician Directory - Contact Us

71 Prospect Ave. Hudson, NY 12534 - 518-828-7601 fax: 518-828-8525
info@ColumbiaMemorial.com - Hospital Disclaimer