Where caring counts. Feel the difference.
August 2010
Navigation Program Helps Guide Breast Cancer Patients to Recovery
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Vol. 26 No. 4
Taking “Time Out” Makes Surgery Safer
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Karry Trout, RT(R)(M), a Registered Radiologic Technologist and Certified Mammographer at Mason General Hospital, can personally identify with people dealing with cancer through the hospital’s new Patient Navigation Program.
breast cancer diagnosis can be overwhelming. Patients at Mason General Hospital do not have to go through this experience alone. Since April of this year, Karry Trout, RT(R)(M), has taken on the position of Patient Navigator, providing breast cancer patients with assistance that includes connecting these women to both medical and community resources, as well as to other breast cancer survivors. Continued on page 8…
Aches, Pains and Vitamin D Deficiency Vitamin D deficiency is common, affecting more than 40 percent of older Americans, particularly those with aching joints and muscles, some researchers believe. One study of 360 patients with low back pain and no obvious cause found that 83 percent had abnormally low levels of vitamin D. Another study found a vitamin D deficiency in all 150 patients with persistent non-specific joint or muscle pain. In both studies, most patients showed improvement when they were given vitamin D supplements. [SOURCE: Sanjay Prakash and Nilima D. Shad, “Chronic tension-type headache with vitamin D deficiency: casual or causal association?” Headache, December 21, 2009]
Showing off signed certificates promising they will follow national “Time Out” standards in the operating room are (back row, from left) MGH surgery staff − Gretchen Tausa, R.N.; Joyce Anaya, surgical scrub; Tina Miller, R.N., surgical services manager; Sandy Smith, environmental services; and Craig Thurston, surgical scrub. (In front, from left) − Marj Haviland, R.N.; Krystal Jewett, R.N.; Kathy Smith, surgical scrub; Shannon Stevens, surgical scrub; and Tish Jordan, anesthesia technician.
Hospital patients don’t need to be alarmed if they overhear staff say “time out” as nobody’s in trouble. “Time out” is a standard security procedure Mason General Hospital employees practice in the operating room before surgery, in order to prevent potential oversights. During this process, the staff meticulously verifies a patient’s name, any antibiotics administered, any allergies, the correct surgery about to be performed − and any other important information is shared with the surgical team. Introducing any unknown observers in the room to the patient is also among the list of precautionary measures. Continued on page 6… For the third straight year, MGH received national acclaim for
its health information technology and has been designated “2010 Most Wired Hospital” by the American Hospital Association. Results indicate Most Wired Hospitals show better outcomes in patient satisfaction, risk-adjusted mortality rates, and other key quality measures through the use of information technology (IT). MGH joins larger state hospitals - Deaconess Medical Center, Multicare Health System, Providence Holy Family Hospital, St. Luke’s Rehabilitation Institute and Valley Hospital and Medical Center as Most Wired Hospital. “This year we received the award not based on our size, but solely on our capabilities in providing comprehensive IT,” said Eric Moll, CAO at MGH. This designation focuses on all areas of patient care as technology makes patient care more efficient, as it provides immediate delivery of the patient’s needs, making for better outcomes.