Focus on oRthoPeDIcs - Renown Health

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CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN LABOR & DELIVERY NURSES CREATE THEIR OWN GUIDE CEOnotes As you read through this issue of the Monitor, there will be a theme that may be subtle at first, but that is present in everything we do to foster a culture of quality care. That theme is responsibility. A great example is the cover story package on Orthopedics. Both in the Total Joint Replacement project and our work in Trauma Services, Renown employees are working with physicians and peers to optimize the patient experience. These projects are examples that quality is everyone’s responsibility. That includes me, our leaders and board members, physicians, and every employee in both clinical and support services across the health network. The fostering of teamwork to deliver great patient care is the only way we can achieve the best outcomes and customer service for every patient, every time. When you read about success stories such as these – or the stories on the patient experience at Renown South Meadows Medical Center and one personal patient story in Cardiac Rehab at Renown Regional – I hope you’ll be able to see a reflection in your own work. Did you know that Samoan mothers-to-be are modest, strongly family-oriented and listen to their grandmothers as well as mothers for birthing advice? For some Hispanic women, there is a belief that tying a red ribbon or red piece of yarn around their stomachs will ward off bad outcomes. In many Asian cultures, pregnant women don’t drink cold beverages for fear they might lead to infection. Labor and Delivery employees at Renown Regional Medical Center have learned about these cultural traditions and family interactions from the work of two registered nurses on their unit. Leanne Gori, RN, and Debbie Hawley, RN, recently completed a Clinical Ladder Level 3 project on cultural diversity. “We decided to focus on the cultural backgrounds of our current patient population,” said Gori. “We recognized the need, and I think we have inevitably improved care by better understanding our patients’ beliefs and traditions.” Nurses now have a culture and nursing care guide that they can refer to on the unit for information on Tongans, Samoans, Japanese, American Indians, and Hispanics, to name a few. In addition, nurses can read up on these cultural differences and take a test on the unit to receive a cultural diversity credit. Cultural diversity is an important aspect of any Magnetdesignee hospital and was another reason why Gori and Hawley chose the project. I know from visiting units and hearing from leaders that there are many team members from across disciplines working together to achieve the highest quality care at Renown Health. Your ideas are important, innovative and, in some cases, a national best practice. This work is the foundation of our ability to give the most advanced care in northern Nevada – healthcare that our community expects, and deserves. Erin Foster, RN, Labor and Delivery, shows the Chinese-American portion of the guide on cultural diversity created by nurses on that Renown Regional unit.
A BETTER LIFE PATIENT PRAISES WORK OF CARDIAC REHAB TEAM It’s been 20 years since Reno resident Carl McDuffie suffered a heart attack that forced him into cardiac arrest. As part of his recovery, doctors referred him to Renown Health’s cardiac rehabilitation program. McDuffie worked with Cardiac Rehab Manager Doug Plourde, RN, and Karen Page, RN, on a treatment plan that improved the quality of his life tremendously. “The first time you step through those doors, it’s very daunting because you’re not exactly sure how much longer you’ve got,” McDuffie said. “But, I was confident in the course of action I had to take in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle.” Through motivating patients to improve their quality of life, Cardiac Rehab works hand-in-hand with people who suffer from a variety of heart conditions including heart attack, bypass surgery and angioplasty. McDuffie credits his life to cardiac rehabilitation and is unequivocally one of the program’s greatest fans. Carl McDuffie (center) works with Cardiac Rehab Manager Doug Plourde, RN (right) and Karen Page, RN, on classic strength exercises used at Heart Health at Renown Regional. “Before rehab I wasn’t exercising, was smoking and was working non-stop,” McDuffie said. “Once I started the program, my wife Pat and I quit smoking, started exercising and began making healthier decisions all around. It gave me the faith and courage to live.” Cardiac Rehab sets forth three goals for each patient entering the program. The first is to ensure a patient’s understanding of their heart condition and the treatment they’ve been given. They then work with each patient to create awareness about the individual’s risk factors (such as smoking or a high-fat diet) and coach people to modify or relinquish risky behaviors. Finally, the team focuses on teaching the patient heart health exercises they can do safely and with great benefits. “We support people in making lifestyle changes,” said Page. “Patients can’t do what they don’t know, and through education they make good decisions imperative to their care.” McDuffie serves as an example for all cardiac patients and is a true Renown success story. He continues exercising daily and enjoys playing in the Sparks Recreation Department’s senior softball league. In addition, McDuffie enjoys fishing and walks with Pat, his wife of 50 years. Alicia Bothmer, (left) Medical Exercise Specialist, works on strength training with Carl McDuffie at the Heart Rehab unit at Renown Regional. | 3 | THE MONITOR APRIL 25, 2008
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Focus on oRthoPeDIcs - Renown Health

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