in the healing experience
the patient is central
The year 2011 has been one of tremendous positive change. The department of nursing fully embraced the visionary style and leadership of our new CEO, Kelly Mather, and our partnership with the Studer Group, a leader in training healthcare organizations to achieve, sustain, and accelerate exceptional clinical, operational, and financial outcomes. Together, we developed a framework to employ evidenced-based leadership and adopt many evidenced-based practices central to the care of the patient. The field of nursing, as both science and art, is devoted to providing a healing experience for the patient. This past year, our focus, in nursing, was to hear what our patients were telling us. Through our surveys we collected data, completed our assessment and recognized that patients want to be informed and engaged in their care. These two desires represent a common theme in other hospitals. A hospital’s response has the potential to change the landscape of healthcare. With this in mind, nursing embraced four evidenced-based practices, namely: • Hourly rounding – Every hour someone from the nursing staff will round on the patient and address, at minimum, four elements: Pain, bathroom needs, positioning and placement of essential items close at hand.
22 Sonoma valley hospital
• Bed-side shift reporting – clinicians do a hand off at the bedside, including patient and family. • Individualized care- here is where we discuss the plan of care with the patient, and the patient may agree or disagree, and collaborate with the nurse about what care should look like. • Post discharge calls- the patient will receive a call at their home to ensure that they have made their follow-up appointment, have the correct medication, and that all questions are addressed. With the implementation of the above practices, we have seen a massive jump in our patient satisfaction scores…. evidenced by the graphs opposite. Our staff and leadership have aligned themselves with the vision of SVH and have been incredibly responsive in embracing change. I am humbled by their dedication and excellence and am committed to serving my staff and patients on their lifelong journey of health. Goni Naidoo, Chief Nursing and Clinical Officer
