TIP OF THE WEEK
Are your staff members all eyes?
According to recent news on MSNBC, Miami airport’s staff members are now training to look for suspicious activities to tighten security for the upcoming Super Bowl. The two-hour training dispels myths about what a stereotypical terrorist looks like and asks staff members to focus on specific behaviors, called “behavior pattern recognition.” The cleaning crew is airport security’s strongest ally because they spend time in areas of the airport without security cameras, like the restrooms.
Since this program began in September 2006, 1,000 employees have been through the training. They've reported 26 suspicious cases, three of which led to arrests. General crime in the airport is down more than 35 percent.
APPLYING THIS CONCEPT IN YOUR NURSING HOME
Miami airport officials took security out of the Security Department and placed responsibility on all employees. Where can we take a lesson from this strategy? Here are just a few ideas:
- Create a Quality Culture: Many times, staff members make the mistake of thinking that the QI or QA team is in charge of quality or that the pain team is in charge of pain – so they don’t have to worry about it. In a nursing home with a culture of quality, every individual employee takes responsibility for making sure residents are getting the care they need at all times.
- Detecting Pain: Pain goes undetected for many reasons. Sometimes residents and staff members have pre-conceived notions that pain is a normal part of aging. All staff members should be familiar with the physical signs of pain like grimacing or restlessness and that words like “burning” or “aching” may indicate that a resident is experiencing pain. Staff should know that they have a responsibility to report these signs to the charge nurse.
- Nutrition, Hydration, and Skin Care: These elements are a big part of preventing pressure ulcers. All staff members can take responsibility to encourage residents to eat appropriately, drink more water, and keep skin clean and moisturized.
- Detecting Pressure Ulcers: Nursing assistants have the best opportunity to check skin for developing skin sores on a daily basis. They should know where sores are most likely to occur. They should check for developing signs of redness, bruising, or blistering and report it to the charge nurse.
*Alert: Next week is Pride in Food Service Week
RESOURCE SPOTLIGHT
IHI On Demand: Effective Teamwork as a Care Strategy - SBAR and Other Tools for Improving Communication Between Caregivers
After viewing this 49-minute streaming video presentation, led by expert faculty member, Michael Leonard, MD, you will understand and be able to implement the SBAR approach and use other tools and behaviors to develop effective teamwork and communication, thereby ensuring clear, accurate information among caregivers.
You can view this On Demand presentation any time at your convenience. The program is synchronized with Dr. Leonard’s presentation slides. You may pause or stop the presentation at any point and resume where you left off.
IN THE NEWS
RISK FACTORS FOR INCONTINENCE CHANGE AS WOMEN AGE
January 30, 2007 -- Reuters Health -- A new study found that although “stress” incontinence (i.e., laughing or coughing) is common, “urge” incontinence (i.e., overwhelming need to urinate) grew more common, particularly among African American women, as the participants of the study aged. Read More >>
NO-COST, IN-HOME CARE FOR ELDERLY PROVIDED BY FAMILY MEMBERS AMOUNTS TO AN ESTIMATED $306B ANNUALLY
January 30, 2007 -- Kaiser Network and the Philadelphia Inquirer -- Nearly 80 percent of all long-term care is provided in-home, most of it by family members at no cost, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. The care that "29 million Americans provide for free amounts to an estimated $306 billion" annually, according to the Inquirer. Medicaid spending for in-home care has tripled between 1996 and 2005 to $22.7 billion. While Medicaid will provide aides for in-home care, they are limited to services including light house cleaning, errands, or bathing and are not permitted to provide skilled nursing care, such as help with feeding tubes. Read More >>
January 26, 2007 -- Premier Inc. -- According to the results released today, more than 260 hospitals participating in the CMS/Premier Hospital Quality Incentive Demonstration (HQID) project have raised overall quality by 11.8 percent in two years, based on their delivery of 30 nationally standardized and widely accepted care measures to patients in five clinical areas. Variation between top and bottom performers continues to shrink as clinical quality improves at participating hospitals. Read More >>
OHIO KEPRO EVENTS
QUALITY IMPROVEMENT: TAKING IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL
Objectives:
- Identify the basic principles of quality improvement
- Describe the role of data collection in the quality improvement process
- Discuss ways to improve team performance
- Identify strategies to improve the effectiveness of team leaders and team members
WHO SHOULD ATTEND? Nursing home administrators, directors of nursing, clinical managers, direct care professionals, QI team members
Continuing education credits for nurses and NAB credits for administrators are pending. Please contact Donna Maynard at 1.800.385.5080 to learn the program’s status.
February 8, 2007 through March 8, 2007 from 8:30 a.m. to noon in various locations throughout Ohio.
If you are interested, please download the flyer and register online.
View all Ohio KePRO educational opportunities for nursing homes >>
OTHER INDUSTRY EVENTS
CMS SNF/LTC Open Door Forum
February 15, 2007 2:00 p.m
Dial-in: (800) 837-1935
Conference ID: 9399803
Navigating the MDS Through the Ohio Medicaid Reimbursement System
Ohio Department of Job and Family Services
June 11, 2007 or August 23, 2007
Call Cheryl Robertson at (614) 466-9088 for more information.
Roadmap for Change: 2nd Annual Person Centered Care Coalition Conference
March 20, 2007 – Columbus, Ohio
Alzheimer’s Association Training Events
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine Courses
Ohio Department of Health, Technical Assistance Program – New Programs
Ohio Health Care Association Events
An archive of The Nursing Home Weekly Update is available on our Web site. Click here >>
