INNOVATION

care systems.
New nurses are typically prepared for their new roles via hourslong
classroom instruction and computer-based training modules on
high-risk concepts such as programming smart infusion pumps that
deliver medications, fluids and nutrients to patients at controlled
rates. Then they are expected to absorb much of their knowledge by
shadowing superiors, otherwise known as “preceptors,” in the world
of healthcare. Trainers observe trainees in patient care directives, and
then these preceptors assert when learners can practice on their own.
These elements still have a place in nursing education, but there
are some inefficiencies that need to be addressed:
1. New nurses don’t always retain the information learned in
lectures or computer-based training;
2. Seasoned nurses, in many cases, don’t have a standard way of
doing things; and
3. There are no real criteria establishing readiness.
The Health Scholars app aims to tackle these issues by providing a
guided, interactive platform that measures the performance of each
trainee while standardizing how all nurses approach certain processes.
HEALTH SCHOLARS AT THE BEDSIDE
Health Scholars is a commercial-scale simulator application for use on
any mobile tablet. It’s designed for new nurses to use at the bedside, with
preceptors guiding the learning process. The app will first launch with
short interactive training modules focused on medication and patient
safety, as well as infection prevention.
For example, a common mistake made in hospitals is the programming
of a smart pump to administer high-risk medications. A nursein-training
using the Health Scholars app could pull up the high-risk
medication training module in a patient’s room and practice going
through the process before touching the real pump. A preceptor could
watch the trainee as he/she goes through each step and double-check
the work.
The app gives instructors a great reference tool to ensure all trainees
are receiving the same education. It’s also a subtle reminder for superiors
on task standards.
Health Scholars offers fun ways to learn various procedures. If
you’ve visited a hospital recently, you might have noticed different-colored
garbage cans found in patient rooms. Each color is designated for
different types of hazardous materials. New nurses can bring up a game
in the app to recall proper disposal of certain waste.
THE APP’S PROGRESSION
The idea to create an interactive training application was initially conceived
as a way to streamline and improve how nurses are oriented into
OSF HealthCare. Subject matter experts from OSF and SIMnext and
software developers from CSE put their minds together to design an
app targeting smart pump training. Jump is instrumental in testing the
product and determining whether it’s positively impacting learning, and
A nurse-in-training can pull
up the medication training
module in a patient’s room
and practice going through
the process before touching
the real pump.
preliminary results have been promising.
New nurses at OSF were given the option of smart pump training
during a two-hour instruction session or using the app, which takes
anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes to complete. Learners overwhelmingly
chose the mobile tool. We found those who practiced on the app received
the same quality education they would have received in the classroom.
“I feel more confident after completing the smart pump app, then
doing the competency on the actual pump, as opposed to traditional
training,” said Erin Jones, a cardiothoracic unit nurse at OSF Saint Francis
Medical Center. “On the app, you can push the exact buttons a nurse
will touch on the smart pump. It will go through the motions as though
you are using the real device. It’s extremely user-friendly.”
The smart pump app was later expanded to include a module for
high-risk medication administration training. This was also implemented
into OSF nurse training, and there were significant improvements in the
handing of this medication as a result. About 800 nurses were assessed
and trained in one month’s time, without the need for overtime or time
away from the patient’s bedside.
These positive outcomes have led OSF to incorporate the app training
into nursing orientation and reducing the time spent in a classroom.
This year, nurses will use the mobile simulation exercises on their respective
floors with guidance from preceptors. The results have also led to the
evolution of the app to include more training scenarios. There’s still more
work to be done to ensure its success.
GETTING IT RIGHT
SIMnext and CSE have reached out to the nursing program at St. Louis
University to build valuable research around the smart pump component
of the application. It will compare the effectiveness of training on the app
versus traditional classroom education in a simulated environment.
Health Scholars will go live in January within OSF. This will give our
collaboration the opportunity to collect user feedback on the entire ap-
“ON THE APP, YOU CAN PUSH THE EXACT BUTTONS A NURSE WILL
TOUCH ON THE SMART PUMP. IT WILL GO THROUGH THE MOTIONS AS
THOUGH YOU ARE USING THE REAL DEVICE. IT’S EXTREMELY USER-FRIENDLY.”
68 InterBusiness Issues -- January 2016