Cath Lab Digest - May 2008 - (Page 27)

27 program, which deals with divisional competency assessment. Our nurses are assessed and trained as required in cardiovascular nursing skills. Once a new staff member arrives in the cath lab, he or she will be assigned a preceptor and will undergo a 90-day probationary period with the completion of unit-specific competencies. Training is dependent on the skills level of the each new staff member. Generally SN1s spend one month in the adult labs, one month in the pediatric labs and a further month in the recovery room during their probationary period. Our students undergo a three-year period with us post-university, and have a mix of hands-on training, lectures and examinations. They are still required to undergo the 90-day probationary period once qualified. Each time new equipment is introduced, we will hold either in-service training or have an application specialist join us until we are comfortable with its use. For major equipment installation, we will request that overseas training slots be included. All of our staff are required to keep their home license/registration current and on file, and must be Basic Life Support (BLS)-certified. Furthermore, our nurses are must complete both Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) certification. All professional staff are also required to be registered with the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties. What type of continuing education opportunities are provided to staff? Our mission statement at KFSH&RC includes the promotion of medical research and education programs, and our staff are encouraged to attend local, national and international conferences. Most recently, we have been fortunate through the KFHI to actively participate in the organization and hosting of the educational activity “Electrophysiology in The Young and Adult: A New Frontier” and the 2007 international symposium; “Cardiac Diseases: Challenges of the Future.” In-services are held weekly and each member of the staff is expected to select a topic of their choice and present it to the group. We also have mandatory annual inservices on fire, electrical and radiation safety, infection control, and we conduct regular adult and pediatric mock codes. Vendors may also be invited to update or educate staff on new, available items during these inservices. Nursing Development and Saudization is responsible for providing orientation, continuing education and staff development, and we have a nursing clinical instructor assigned to us for the education of hospital-wide nursing changes or updates. The hospital itself has monthly staff development courses through the Division of Academic and Training Affairs (ATA) and as one of its primary goals, ATA has adopted advanced healthcare education and training to promote leadership and professional standards for all medical, technical, administrative and other hospital personnel. We also have the opportunity to attend Grand Round meetings if the topics are relevant to the cath lab. Through our clinical services department and our outreach program, telemedicine conferences are also available to us and the KFHI conducts a monthly journal club. We also maintain a library for Cath Lab Digest and Journal Watch publications. You mentioned “Nursing Development and Saudization” helps with new staff orientation. What is “Saudization”? Saudization was introduced by King Fahd and is now supported by his successor, King Abdulla (both sons of King Abdul Aziz). This is enforced throughout the Kingdom to ultimately ensure that no Saudi national is unemployed. It does not only apply to the healthcare industry, but to all of Saudi Arabia, inclusive of contractors, shop vendors and even taxi drivers. Obviously, for this system to work, education by experienced, qualified personnel is required. The KFSH&RC is geared in this direction by the training of Saudi students, both locally and abroad, and in offering promotional opportunities for Saudis within the healthcare system. The goal is to have less reliance on an expatriate work force. How do you handle vendor visits to your lab? Security in and out of the hospital is strict, and so vendors wishing to have access must first arrange a visiting time with our secretary so that a gate pass can be issued. The hospital also has a healthcare industry representative sign-in policy for vendors wishing to enter procedural areas. How is staff competency evaluated? All competencies must be completed during the staff member’s probationary Absent for the photoshoot (clockwise): Arnel Reyes, Senior CVT, Shannon Solomon, SN1, Alejandro Dijamco, CVT, Annie Joseph, SN1, Adnan Abu Ghazaleh, SN1. 2. 3. 4. 5. department, whereby the best pricing for supplies is always sought (either locally or from overseas vendors). Some of our more expensive items (e.g. ICDs) are delivered to the cath lab on the day of the procedure (consignment). Supplies are opened on cath lab trays only as requested. We have opened our recovery room and established the cardiac holding unit for screening selected patients, which eases the load on the clinics and our discharge process helps to alleviate the demand on hospital beds. We have conducted a performance improvement project to reduce contrast wastage and have encouraged our cardiologists to use only 50mL contrast bottles for diagnostic cases. our assistant head nurse attends monthly peri-operative meetings. We have our own assigned quality coordinator and are actively involved in both departmental and hospital-wide QA projects inclusive of patient, staff and physician satisfaction surveys and mock tracers. Performance indicators based on significant compliance issues are reviewed/ analyzed on a quarterly basis. How does your cath lab compete for patients? Has your institution formed an alliance with others in the area? Being a tertiary institution, our patients come to us on a referral basis. The King Faisal Heart Institute has a heath outreach services department, which develops and establishes partnerships with referring regional hospitals of the Ministry of Health. At present, twentyfive national hospitals and medical centers are participating. This cooperation has led to significant improvements in healthcare by enhancing quality clinical practices, promoting education, and standardizing the management of specific disease conditions. The KFSH&RC also has a sister hospital, the King Faisal Specialist Hospital (KFSH), in Jeddah. How are new employees oriented and trained at your facility? The KFSH&RC holds a three-day general orientation program consisting of lectures, educational sessions and hospital tours. Nursing employees will follow this with a two-week orientation program, finishing with written examinations. Since June of 2004, a skills laboratory has been introduced to this What type of quality control/quality assurance measures are practiced in your cath lab? At KFSH&RC, we follow a quality management plan which consists of four components: Performance improvement plan, patient safety and risk management plan, the accreditation plan and the environment of care plan. This plan was developed by the quality resource management department and approved by the executive management at the level of the performance improvement council. Two of our staff members are active participants on the hospital’s clinical services quality management team and

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Cath Lab Digest - May 2008

Cath Lab Digest - May 2008 The King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre Cell Therapy in the Cath Lab for Heart Failure: A Look at MyoCell® Therapy and the SEISMIC Trial Performance Improvement Strategies Speed Up Treatment Times in the Management of ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) Patients Contents Clinical Editor’s Corner Commentary: Performance Improvement Strategies Speed Up Treatment Times in the Management of ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) Patients Ask the STEMI Expert Comparing Drug-Eluting Stents and Bare-Metal Stents SICP: The Ten-Minute Interview with… Christopher Kambak, RT(R) Cardiac Cath Lab Economics in a Public Hospital of a Developing Country Keeping Your Heart & Vascular Employees: Proven Ideas for an Effective Retention Plan Unspoken Words Ask the Clinical Instructor Society of Invasive Cardiovascular Professionals Meetings Calendar Education Center What Do You Think? Clinical & Industry News Classifieds Advertisers Index

Cath Lab Digest - May 2008

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