SimSuite Stroke Program Improves Confidence of Front Line Care Providers at Leading Colorado Stroke Center
Denver, January 10, 2011—Swedish Medical Center, a Joint Commission certified Primary Stroke Center since 2004 and an HCA-system hospital, is the only hospital in Colorado to receive GOLD PLUS Get with the Guidelines recognition from the American Heart Association (AHA) and American Stroke Association (ASA) for excellence in stroke patient care. Swedish cares for more stroke patients more quickly than any other hospital in Colorado and boasts an average time for stroke treatment of 52 minutes, compared to the statewide average of 78 minutes.
With an excellent record in providing stroke treatment and ongoing continuing education opportunities for Neuro-ICU nurses and Stroke Unit nurses, Stroke Program Coordinator Katie Leonard, NP, recognized a need to strengthen the confidence and competence of Swedish frontline staff—Emergency Department nurses—who stroke patients first encounter upon arriving to the hospital, and who have the greatest impact on initial patient care.
As a result of a few stroke case reviews, stroke leaders at Swedish realized that ED nurses could benefit from some hands-on stroke education to increase their confidence in assessing and providing initial treatment to stroke patients. Additionally, care documentation was not standardized across the hospital, causing inefficient patient handoffs and disorganized communication between the ED and the ICU teams.
The SimSuite Stroke Course offered Swedish a time-efficient and effective training solution, whereby ED nurses could participate in a stroke education program, based on the AHA/ASA evidence-based best practices for stroke identification and care, with minimal time away from the bedside. Swedish participated in the SimSuite Stroke Course in February 2010. The majority of the 40 participants were staff nurses with more than five years of clinical experience.
The SimSuite Stroke Course provides a comprehensive review of current, evidence-based AHA/ASA guidelines for the identification and initial treatment of stroke patients. Following the online course, participants also completed a simulation training session. During the hands-on simulation session, participants took turns managing patient care scenarios on a lifelike human patient simulator. The simulation scenarios feature patients with different signs and symptoms of stroke and require participants to apply the concepts learned in the online course. Participants’ knowledge of best practices in stroke patient care was assessed before and after completing the course.
Following completion of the SimSuite Stroke Course, participants experienced a 56% increase in tested knowledge from pre-course to post-course scores and a 56% increase in consistency of scores around the mean (average) score. Participants felt that the blended education format was very effective, and they would be more confident in addressing both standard stroke care and stroke-associated complications.
Both the competence and confidence of course participants increased. Previously, nurses treating stroke patients would call the stroke coordinator to ask “this is what happened, what should I do?” regarding a particular complication. Now, nurses call the coordinator and report “this is what has happened and this is what I am doing to address it.”
“The SimSuite Stroke Course has greatly improved the confidence of ED nurses in applying stroke care protocols and addressing complications,” says Katie Leonard, NP, Stroke Program Coordinator, Swedish Medical Center, Denver, Colorado. “Previously, when the nurses experienced a patient complication, they would call me to ask ‘what do I do?’ Now they call and say ‘this is what has happened and this is what I am doing to address it.’”
Patient outcomes have improved, as the nurses have become more confident in applying care protocols consistently, and subsequently, blood pressure control among stroke patients has improved. Swedish has also realized potential cost savings in the form of decreased time requirements for advanced practice nurses and physicians to consult with nurses on care plans for stroke patients, as nurses gained confidence in applying standard protocols and addressing complications.
Process and communication results associated with the training include standardization of post-TPA documentation forms between the ED and ICU. The new standard forms have helped facilitate more streamlined patient handoffs and improved communication between the departments.
Finally, the participant results will be shared with The Joint Commission during Swedish’s upcoming Joint Commission Primary Stroke Center recertification visit. Katie Leonard reports that the pre-course and post-course test results will be favorably viewed by The Joint Commission in showing an intervention and improvement in competencies.
About Medical Simulation Corporation
Medical Simulation Corporation (MSC) is a recognized healthcare industry leader in providing full-service simulation training and education services to healthcare personnel, medical societies, and medical product manufacturers. MSC’s quality and patient safety solutions are designed to strengthen the competence and confidence of nurses, physicians, and technologists. Through its network of training platforms, MSC can provide customized training services to any location worldwide. For more information, visit www.medsimulation.com or call 888-889-5882.