Fall, 2013 - Fulton County Health Center

725 South Shoop Avenue • Wauseon, OH 43567NON-PROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGEPAIDWAUSEON, OHPermit No. 63In This Issue:From Diagnostics to Treatmentto Recovery: FCHC's RoleFirst in the Region with New CT ScannerMedicare Update: Durable Medical EquipmentOccupational Medicine: HelpingEmployers & WorkersGiving Back - Supporting the Relay for LifeMessage from the CEONews & NotesAnnual Checkups Are ImportantHonors / AwardsMaking Sense of National Quality RankingsHealth & Fitness ClassesImproving Patient CommunicationsImproving Patient Communications(L-R): Keitha Schultz, RN, BSN, Medical-Surgical Coordinator, Hand-off Report Team Leaderdiscusses a patient’s condition with Claudette Galbreath, LPN.On July 1st, Fulton County Health Center introduced a new program that is designedto improve communications between staff members and patients. The program is called“Hand-off Reporting at the Bedside”, and it focuses on having nurses discuss a patient’scondition right at the bedside with the patient and family members listening and interacting.“In the past, when we changed shifts, the nurses would get together in a private room andreview the patient’s medical records for the day,” says Terri Johnson, RN, Medical/SurgicalUnit Manager. “With the new system, we have two or three nurses discussing the details infront of the patient and their family.”According to Johnson, the intent is to make sure patients and their families have theopportunity to ask questions or add pertinent information. “Perhaps a family membernoticed something that occurred with the patient when thenurse was not in the room,” says Johnson. “This would bean opportunity for them to let us know what happened.”The goal is not only to improve communications, but to alsoimprove the safety of the patient. “It just gets everyone onthe same page, and that’s a good thing for all concerned,”says Johnson.In addition to the Hand-off Reporting at the Bedside, newwhite boards will be installed this fall in each patient room.The white boards will have specific categories of informationpre-printed on them for staff members to fill in each day ofthe patient’s stay. “We’ll have a section for tests that wereperformed that day as well as new meds that were given andany noticeable side effects,” says Johnson. There will be apain scale section that will allow for recording the patient’spain levels during the day. The boards will also have asection for nurses to record their names at the beginning oftheir shift. Phone numbers for the housekeeping and dietarydepartments will be posted as well.The new white boards are being funded in part througha grant from Ohio Hospital Association Insurance Solutions(OHAIS). Grants are awarded to hospitals for their efforts toimprove patient safety and risk management. The FCHC grantwas applied for by Nancy Roynon, RN, MSN, PerformanceImprovement Manager, as part of the Health Center’s effortsto continually look for ways to improve its services.“We’re trying to make it easier for patients and theirfamilies to understand what is going on during the course ofthe day and who to contact if help is needed,” says Johnson.“We’re confident the hand-off reporting and new patientwhite boards will go a long way toward making that happen.”