Critical Values - January 2009 - (Page 21) Volume 2 • Issue 1 • January 2009 specimen at the bedside and also why the laboratory would not accept specimens labeled at the nurses’ station. Another situation that was addressed through the liaison process was contaminated blood cultures collected by nurses. In addition to implementation of a new site preparation procedure for all blood culture collections, the nurses were instructed on the best process for collecting specimens and avoiding contamination. The results were monitored after the instruction, and there was a drastic decrease in the incidence of blood culture contamination, from a 15.5% contamination rate in April 2006 to a 4% rate in August 2006 and 0% in December 2006. departments and to share information about the progress they have made with assigned departments. Laboratory employees who are not on the team are encouraged to provide suggestions to the LLP for their departments. The LLP has now been expanded to all nursing areas, and the new goal of the team is to expand it to other ancillary services as well. This partnership has not only created a oneon-one experience and improved relationships between the laboratory and nursing departments, but it has also created an avenue for sharing information and for troubleshooting, which ultimately led to better patient care. The LLP has created a setting for better communication, better relations, better processes, and ultimately a better standard of care for patients. Nurses are comfortable calling the laboratory to discuss a patient’s Blood Culture Contamination Rate 16.00% 14.00% 12.00% 10.00% 8.00% 6.00% 4.00% 2.00% 0.00% De cem -05 ber Ap 6 ril-0 Au t-0 gus 6 -06 ber cem De Nursing Laboratory After several months of work with the ED, the process was expanded to the intensive care unit. At this point, one person was serving as the liaison to multiple departments, a situation that did not allow for special one-on-one attention. The ultimate goal was to designate one medical technologist to each nursing unit/floor. The Laboratory Liaison Partnership (LLP) was created to meet this goal. The LLP now has a mission statement, a welcome/ invitation letter, and questionnaire, which are sent to the director of the department and forwarded to other managerial personnel as requested by the director. The laboratory liaisons meet once a month to determine the information that needs to be presented to assigned Laboratory Liaison Partnership results, and the medical technologists are also comfortable calling to inquire about a patient’s care that may affect results. They now work together to resolve issues and improve processes, but it is a dynamic process. Some issues that were once resolved evolve into new problems that require some modification. Nevertheless, we have learned from each other, the laboratory from the nurses and vice versa, and the result is improved patient care. Ms. Nickel is Laboratory Technology Manager at BryanLGH Medical Center in Lincoln, NE. She served as laboratory liaison partnership coordinator in her former position as Medical Technologist with Saint Francis Medical Center in Grand Island, NE. 21
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