SSRH receives accreditation; positive patient survey scores
11/13/2013
A tour of Northwest Health (SSRH) offered a teaching opportunity about patient communication for students at the University of Arkansas – Eleanor Mann School of Nursing.
"As a nursing facility, we are aware of the various types of communication techniques that are used in hospitals, however, we became aware of SSRH’s during a tour of the hospital," said Jacklyn Gentry, MSN, RN, assistant director at Eleanor Mann School of Nursing.
Inside each patient room at SSRH there are dry erase boards mounted on the walls which are updated during each nursing shift. The board includes details such as: room number, date, nurse’s name, physician’s name, phone number for the room, any dietary restrictions, names of other staff assisting the patient, pain level chart, when medication was administered last and when it can be administered again and also the patient’s goal such as bed rest.
"The boards are a great way for the staff to know a patient’s status, it allows them to ask the patient if there are any changes to pain level, find out their needs and also it helps keep the patient informed about the care they are receiving and who is administering it," said SSRH Chief Nursing Officer Maria Wleklinski, RN. "We also include a section on the boards for staff members to track when they visit patient rooms to ensure they are rounding on their patients hourly."
Hourly rounding is a process where a hospital caregiver visits each patient in the hospital every hour from 6 a.m.-10 p.m. and every two hours from 10 p.m.-6 a.m.
"Hourly rounding helps us address a patient’s personal needs and lets us actively monitor their well-being," Wleklinski said.
"Communication is a necessary skill for all nurses and using the boards prepares our students to enter the healthcare field," Gentry said.
The boards were designed for the new hospital in April 2012. Nursing directors took input from their staff members and created the boards from their comments and recommendations, according to Wleklinski.
Since the nursing school tour of the hospital several SSRH boards have been donated and placed in the school’s simulation labs, which emulates a hospital room. The students then are able to utilize the boards while visiting a simulated patient.
"Students have enjoyed the boards," Gentry said. "One comment was the students felt the boards made them more prepared to enter the hospital setting."
Gentry said she felt the boards helped the students become better communicators with patients and family members which ultimately has a positive outcome on the patient. They also prepare students to have the experience of using the same type of equipment they will see in the hospital setting.
The boards will continue to be used at the school as students perform 10 simulations over the two years they are in the nursing program.
"We are thankful for the boards as we feel they will impact our student learning environment," Gentry said.
About Northwest Health
Northwest Health is a 73 licensed bed facility with 42 private patient rooms. It is accredited by the State of Arkansas Department of Health Services and The Joint Commission. Some services include inpatient and outpatient surgery, emergency medicine, medical, surgical and intensive care units, obstetrics, outpatient diagnostic services and inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation. With more than 30 physicians on the medical staff, Northwest Health provides compassionate, customer-focused care. The new facility, which opened April 2012, is located at 603 N. Progress Ave. in
Siloam Springs, Ark. For more information, visit SSRH.net.
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