thriving in healthcare

Written with the help of contributing author Linda Robinson, MSN,RN, CPXP, Vice President of Clinical Excellence at MDM Healthcare

In a recent podcast episode of PX Space, Linda Robinson, MSN, CPXP, RN, Vice President of Clinical Excellence, MDM Healthcare, had the opportunity to speak with Annamari Dietrichson, a healthcare leader and the Continental Division Vice President of Patient Experience at HCA Healthcare. Annamari, who is also the Owner/Founder of Authentic Health & Wellness and an executive health coach, shared invaluable insights on how healthcare professionals can not only survive but thrive in this new era. The conversation centered around cultivating a breakthrough mindset and its profound impact on both staff and patients.

The Importance of Patient Experience and Employee Engagement:

Dietrichson emphasized the significance of patient experience and employee engagement, particularly in today's chaotic healthcare environment. She pointed out that while implementing various tactics such as nurse leader rounding and bedside shift reports are essential, they are ineffective without a team that is genuinely enthusiastic about their job. Dietrichson firmly believes that investing time in employee engagement is crucial, as it triggers a domino effect that positively influences every aspect of care delivery.

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The Power of Genuine Listening:
According to Dietrichson, truly listening to patients is paramount, even when following scripted procedures like nurse leader rounding. Engaging in meaningful conversations and demonstrating a genuine commitment to understanding the patient's perspective can make a world of difference in the quality of care provided.

Flourishing as a Healthcare Leader:

Healthcare leaders face tremendous stress as they lead teams working tirelessly in a 24/7, 365-day environment. Dietrichson highlighted the importance of not allowing this stress to reflect on staff interactions. This is where her work as a health coach becomes invaluable. By promoting self-care, cultivating a breakthrough mindset, and prioritizing energy restoration, healthcare leaders can flourish despite the challenges they face.

Embracing a Breakthrough Mindset:

Dietrichson stressed the significance of adopting a breakthrough mindset, which involves challenging limiting beliefs and negativity. Many healthcare professionals enter the field fueled by passion and purpose, only to experience burnout. Dietrichson believes it is the responsibility of every healthcare leader to discover ways to thrive and create a positive impact on their teams and patients.

Journey PX: Transforming Care Delivery:

Journey PX is passionate about helping care teams, partners with them to transform care delivery models. The cutting-edge, cloud-based platform offers solutions that streamline clinical workflows and alleviate non-clinical tasks, saving clinicians time. One of the platform’s solutions, My Stay, provides patients access to a comprehensive library of educational videos tailored to their specific health needs. Nurses can support patients by assigning them individualized education plans, empowering them to become more informed and proactive about their care. Additionally, Journey PX Connect enables nurses to securely connect with patients via video, enhancing access to care, saving time, and reducing exposure risks.

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Listen to the Full Podcast:
To delve deeper into Annamari Dietrichson's insights and expertise, tune in to the full PX Space podcast interview, available below.

Conclusion:
Discovering ways to thrive as a healthcare professional is essential in today's demanding environment. By embracing a breakthrough mindset, prioritizing patient experience and employee engagement, and taking care of their well-being, healthcare leaders can create positive transformations for their teams and provide exceptional care to their patients.

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Written with contributing author Linda Robinson, MSN, CPXP, RN, Vice President of Clinical Excellence, MDM Healthcare

Childbirth is a transformative and empowering experience for mothers, but it can also be a challenging and overwhelming journey. Recently, Linda Robinson MSN, CPXP, RN Vice President of Clinical Excellence, MDM Healthcare spoke with Braidi Huecker, MD, OB-GYN on a PX Space podcast episode. The two discussed empowering expecting and new mothers with education about the childbirth process.

Dr. Huecker shared her insights on a variety of topics, including challenging stereotypes, birth positivity, and the importance of postpartum care.

“I think when patients come in during labor, or for their prenatal or postpartum visit they have this idea of how things should be, how the picture should look, how happy they should be, and what the background is going to look like. However real life is not Instagram, TikTok, or Pinterest. Real life is way harder than a beautiful photo. It can be messy. I think that puts a lot of pressure on the mother and the partner,” she said.

She explained that she believes there should be a birth positivity movement, similar to the recent body positivity movement in American culture.

“We’re not all the same. Not all women are the same, so why can’t we have birth positivity? Why can’t we celebrate birth differences? We should be celebrating how wonderful it is that we have experienced the birth of our child.”

Dr. Huecker expressed the importance of challenging childbirth and pregnancy stereotypes because they only add pressure on new mothers.

“Patients come in and they have this plan, and birth plans are fantastic, but if something doesn’t go according to your birth plan, it’s important to remember that babies don’t read the textbook and that your birth story is unique. It’s a beautiful, wonderful moment and your baby is born however he or she needed to,” she said.

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Dr. Huecker also provides advice for new mothers who may be struggling with breastfeeding. She explained that similar to birth stories, unhealthy stereotypes exist about breastfeeding that also put unnecessary pressure on new mothers. She emphasized that mothers should do the best they can to breastfeed as it is healthy for the baby, but not beat themselves up if they have trouble with it.

“Everybody is different, and every breast is different, so you don’t know until you try it,” she said.

In addition to breastfeeding, another challenge mothers face when returning home after birth is the possibility of having postpartum depression. She discussed the signs and symptoms of postpartum depression and the available resources to support mothers who are struggling.

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“Postpartum depression is a huge risk and can lead to maternal suicide. One out of seven patients have postpartum depression,” she said.

Dr. Huecker again emphasized how important it is that mothers stop comparing themselves to maternal stereotypes. She also explained how important it is for them to ask for help, communicate their feelings, and practice self-care.

“Moms need breaks. They have their baby 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It’s okay for mothers to let a trusted person watch the baby for a few hours and go take some time for themselves. It’s not selfish, it’s important,” she said.

She said that it usually takes a year after birth for mothers to fully bounce back.

Another topic she discussed was the prevention of injury to the baby due to conditions such as SIDS or Shaken Baby Syndrome. Dr. Huecker learned the importance of safe sleep firsthand before she ever started medical school when her newborn brother had a SIDS scare.

“We know now based on research that laying a baby on his or her back is the best way for them to sleep and that the baby sleeps alone,” she said.

She also explained some key things to remember when it comes to preventing an accidental incident of shaken baby syndrome.

In addition to breastfeeding, another challenge mothers face when returning home after birth is the possibility of having postpartum depression. She discussed the signs and symptoms of postpartum depression and the available resources to support mothers who are struggling.

Education

“Babies cry and if you are unable to get away from that crying and get frustrated you should step away. The best thing to do is to walk outside. You have to take a mental break and walk outside for a moment. I don’t mean leave the baby alone for a long period of time or ignore your baby, but if a mother gets frustrated or upset with a crying baby, it’s important that they put the baby down and get their aggression out elsewhere because that baby needs them to do the right thing,” she said.

Preventable actions can be taken to educate parents and caregivers about SIDS and shaken baby syndrome. Education from the right sources at the right time is a powerful preventative tool. Proper education from the right source can help set up new parents for success in dealing with childbirth issues discussed by Dr. Huecker such as safe sleep, post birth warning signs, and breastfeeding.

Journey PX Mother Baby is a solution designed specifically for mother-baby units, delivering vital health education, which research shows drives positive patient outcomes, right to their hospital room via their television set. Journey PX Mother Baby also prepares parents and newborns for discharge and enhances the overall patient experience. The solution is also quick and easy to deploy. To find out more about what Journey PX Mother Baby can do for your Mother Baby unit, schedule a free demo.

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You can hear more from Dr. Huecker’s interview with Linda Robinson, including personal stories about their own birth journeys, by listening to the PX Space podcast interview.

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In a recent PX Space podcast interview, host Linda Robinson MSN, CPXP, RN, Vice President of Clinical Excellence, MDM Healthcare spoke with Dr. D.P. Suresh. Dr. Suresh is an interventional cardiologist and executive medical director of the Florence Wormald Heart & Vascular Institute at St. Elizabeth Healthcare in Edgewood, Kentucky. He is committed to helping patients reduce their risk for heart disease and stroke, two of the leading causes of death in the United States. Dr. Suresh outlined The American Heart Association’s eight simple things you can do to help lower your risk of heart attack and stroke. Dr. Suresh explains how the list is comprised of five things you can do to prevent risk, and three tests you can take.


1.Walk Everyday

2.Get A Good Night’s Sleep

3.Cut Out Red Meat and Sugar

4.Quit Smoking and Vaping

5. Keep Stress Levels Down

6. Track Your Cholesterol Levels

7.Check Your Blood for Sugar

8. Monitor Your Blood Pressure

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Journey PX provides a variety of benefits for patients admitted into the hospital after a heart attack or stroke. Journey PX’s patient engagement solutions drive communication and crucial health education, even when clinicians are not in the room. The extensive library of patient education videos offered through the My Stay solution keeps heart and stroke patients informed and educated about their care throughout their hospital stay. The education library can be embedded in the EMR and can be automated or manually deployed based on stroke and or heart health risk factors, treatments, or diagnoses. It can even release engaging prompts to the TV to encourage the patient to watch the education! Once the education is completed, it can auto-document the completion and comprehension back into the EMR. In addition, Journey PX’s Connect solution allows for secure virtual rounding and provider visits. The combination of these features saves clinicians valuable time and steps and provides patients with a richer patient experience. My Stay also allows vital health education to be delivered via email and text upon discharge for both patients and their caregivers.

Journey PX is also designed to make sure that anything that goes on the Digital Whiteboard, My Day Today, is in a language patients can understand. “We never want patients to become frustrated with information they don’t understand or afraid to ask questions in the hospital,” said Robinson. She continued to explain that this philosophy extends to the videos Journey PX houses in the health education library, My Stay. Patients are best served by technology that is intuitive and easy to use. “If patients can use a TV remote, they can use the cloud-based patient engagement solution Journey PX.” It integrates with the hospital’s electronic medical record (EMR), so it displays accurate real-time plan of care information. Displaying information in this way engages the patient as an active participant in their care which has been shown to drive positive outcomes.

To hear more from Dr. D.P. Suresh about the topic, listen to the full PX Space podcast interview below.

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Written with contributing author Linda Robinson, MSN, CPXP, RN, Vice President of Clinical Excellence, MDM Healthcare

Dr. Jean Watson is a prominent nurse theorist who made significant contributions to nursing. Her theory of caring has been widely adopted and applied by nurses all over the world. Watson's Theory of Caring is a humanistic approach to nursing that emphasizes the importance of the nurse-patient relationship. According to Watson, caring is a fundamental component of nursing and involves a deep commitment to the well-being of the patient. It involves being present and attentive to the patient's physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. The Theory of Caring has significant implications for nursing practice. It emphasizes the importance of the nurse-patient relationship, which is essential for the delivery of high-quality care. It also recognizes the importance of the patient's emotional and spiritual well-being, which is often overlooked in traditional medical care.

Watson has had a long, illustrious career both as a nurse and in academia, and has authored over 30 books on caring. She has been recognized with a myriad of prestigious awards including being recently inducted as a Living Legend by the American Academy of Nursing, its highest honor. She currently serves as the Founder and Director of a non-profit foundation, Watson Caring Science Institute.

Recently, nurse thought leader Linda Robinson, MSN, CPXP, RN, VP of Clinical Excellence at MDM Healthcare, interviewed Dr. Watson for an episode of our podcast PX Space.

Watson shared her thoughts about the impact of the COVID 19 pandemic. “It’s been a wakeup call for all of us, at the personal level at the institutional level, and at the societal level because it has put a spotlight on all the difficulties that nurses have experienced across time in terms of their commitment, their dedication, values, philosophical orientation toward humanity and caring and health for all. Yet the institutions have been structured around economics and control, “fix it” models of medical intervention at all costs,” she said. Watson said the result of this has been an awakening about the critical importance of human connection in patient care.

Watson also referred to the COVID 19 pandemic as a “living metaphor” for a worldview shift structured around the philosophy of the interconnectedness of humanity. Watson explained that this shift is forcing institutions to pay attention to humanized care models.

She also explained that hospital administrators must understand they are responsible for providing nurses with a healing environment.

The innovative cloud-based patient experience platform Journey PX supports Watson’s mission to humanize care by partnering with providers to enrich the patient experience.

“We talk about value-based care, but real value can be found in the relationships nurses create with their patients,” said Robinson. Journey PX aids in the interoperability between technology and hospital care teams by allowing them to offload non-clinical tasks, and create lean workflows, allowing them to have more time for intimate connection with patients at the bedside.

Robinson reflected on her conversation with Watson. “Caring begins with being present, as Dr. Watson so eloquently expressed. We know that caring improves patient outcomes. As discussed, it is difficult to be present with our patients in this post-pandemic chaotic healthcare landscape of overstressed, demanding workplaces. Nurses are dealing with the effects of nursing shortages, an experience complexity gap, and an overwhelming list of tasks,” she said.

Robinson expressed that the important question to address is how care organizations can assist nurses by giving them more time at the bedside. “At Journey PX we are dedicated to working with nurses and organizations on utilizing patient engagement technology that is high touch, high tech,” she said.

You can hear more from Dr. Watson’s intimate discussion with Linda Robinson, including her thoughts on the nursing shortage, nurse rounding and more by listening to the PX Space podcast interview.

To view more information on the Watson Caring Science Institute, including the programs they offer nurses, visit their website.

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Written with contributing author Linda Robinson, MSN, CPXP, RN, Vice President of Clinical Excellence, MDM Healthcare

As the healthcare industry becomes increasingly focused on improving patient experiences, the role of a Patient Experience Liaison has become increasingly important. This individual serves as a bridge between patients and healthcare providers, helping to ensure that patients' needs are met and their voices are heard. A Patient Experience Liaison can play a critical role in enhancing the quality of care and overall satisfaction of patients, as well as fostering a culture of empathy and patient-centeredness within healthcare organizations. Recently, we spoke about the topic with Lisa Gilliam, RN, MSN, CPXP, who works as a Nurse Supervisor at Redlands Community Hospital.

Gilliam, who worked as a Patient Experience Liaison for 6 years, talks about the importance of paying stressed the importance of paying attention to patients' unique needs.

“Patients just really want to be heard, they want to know you care. Getting down to that eye level of the patient and taking that moment, even if it’s a couple minute can really change the perspective of that patient’s experience, and the family’s experience,” she said.

Gilliam also discussed how she has implemented systems to address patients' feedback to create new initiatives that addressed pressing patient problems concerning lost belongings and night-time quietness.

In addition, Gilliam highlighted her work with the Beryl Institute. “Beryl Institute has amazing resources on their website, whitepapers and videos. I learned so much for them that I eventually decided that I wanted to be a part of the Beryl Institute so I joined their patient advisory committee,” she said.

Gilliam explained that her role allows her to aid everyone inside the hospital room. “I get to help the patient, I get to help the family and I get to help the nurse. It’s really about educating that patient and filling those gaps that we didn’t fill at the bedside,” she said.

The philosophy Gilliam describes concerning the healing power of a rich patient experience is the idea that powers the Journey PX brand. Our innovative patient engagement platform is uniquely designed to elevate your PX while eliminating work for your nurses and other key staff.

Journey PX solutions close gaps in communication by keeping patients informed of their daily plan of care, and streamlining communications between patients, families, and care teams. They also empower patients by providing individualized education and engagement tools. Journey PX allows hospital organizations to hard-wire bedside shift reports, saving clinicians steps and time.

Journey PX’s digital whiteboard, My Day Today, provides vital information to hospital care teams, patients, and their families. My Stay provides patients with the education they need via access to an extensive education library. This allows patients to become more empowered through health literacy and enhances their readiness for discharge. It also helps support patients after discharge by providing education that can be texted to them. Journey PX’s virtual care solution, Connect, enables video calling for patients and families. It also provides a secure connection that allows for virtual visits and rounding by hospital care teams, all through the TV in the patient’s room.

To hear more from Lisa Gilliam including her thoughts on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and more listen to the full PX Space podcast interview below.

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Written with contributing author Linda Robinson, MSN, CPXP, RN, Vice President of Clinical Excellence, MDM Healthcare

There are several healthcare professionals that assist families during their childbirth journey. Many families are choosing to hire doulas, trained professionals who provide physical, emotional, and informational support throughout the process. These professionals bring a lot to the table when it comes to patient experience, support that is essential for expecting parents. Debbie Young, Certified Birth and Postpartum Doula, shared some valuable insights on the topic in a recent interview.

Young explained that there are several types of doulas including traditional birth doulas, postpartum doulas, and community doulas, who serve specific communities' needs. She also noted that many hospitals do have doula programs. She elaborated on how doulas work with hospital care teams during childbirth.

“I see myself as part of a team because I am not there to do clinical things, but I am there to do the support part. You think of all the skills needed by the clinical personnel, nurse, doctor, and midwife; I want to be a part of that team. I do not replace any of them, instead, I am there as an extra bonus,” she said.

Young explained one of the things that set the role of a doula apart is that they are devoted entirely to the expecting family.

Many parents who have recently got the news they are expecting may be interested in the process of starting with a doula. Young explains that doulas meet with parents several times throughout the perinatal journey. She meets with an expecting mother at least two times and noted that the chemistry between expecting parents and their doula is important.

“First, I just to do a meet and greet for free because, as I tell families, I am going to be with you at one of the most vulnerable times of your life, and even if I am very smart, and I know what I am talking about, if I do not have a personality that matches your personality, I am not the right doula for you. Let me give you the name of a couple of other doulas in the area that you could call upon. I do stress when I talk about hiring a doula from my childbirth education classes, that parents talk to two or three people because that person is going to be at this intimate time in their lives,” she said.

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In today’s healthcare landscape care delivery models are evolving to address recent challenges such as workforce shortages. As technology continues to impact the healthcare industry, and the popularity of telehealth on the rise, many hospital organizations are beginning to invest in innovative technology tools. Journey PX Connect allows hospitals to bring an additional healthcare expert into the patient room virtually. Connect enables video calling for patients and families. The solution also provides a secure connection that allows for virtual visits and rounding by providers, nurses, other clinicians, and authorized staff, all through the patient’s in-room TV.

Linda Robinson, MSN, CPXP, RN, Vice President of Clinical Excellence, MDM Healthcare elaborated on the added value of bringing in additional experts virtually, to the bedside.

“Currently, hospitals are dealing with nurses that are overwhelmed, overworked, and an experience complexity gap. Why not look at another professional that you can add to the care team to drive quality? Technology such as Journey PX Connect provides hospitals with the ability to bring additional experts to give that added layer of support,” said Robinson.

She also noted that in specialized units like Mother Baby Units, these experts would be professionals such as doulas and lactation consultants.

The importance of education was another topic discussed by Young, who began her 35-year career in the childbirth field as a childbirth educator. Young is noted for her extensive work in childbirth education. In fact, in addition to her current role as a doula and doula trainer, she provides childbirth educational materials to health professionals, patients, and students as the Customer Relations Manager at InJoy Health Education, an education partner of Journey PX.

“Education is really important. I think that when patients go into labor just assuming everything is going to work out fine, they may have no idea what they are getting into,” said Young.

She explained that one of her most important goals is to provide expecting mothers with an education on a variety of topics that also covers a wide array of “what if” scenarios.

“When my students get into the delivery room, they are prepared. No one can be prepared for absolutely everything, but they are prepared. I just taught a class last night where we did a labor rehearsal. Next week, my class is going to be all about postpartum. Education about breastfeeding and post-birth warning signs, etc., they will need it all, and I think it is crucial,” she continued.

Providing comprehensive health education on topics such as breastfeeding, safe sleep, and post-birth warning signs is a key component of antenatal and postpartum care. The sources and delivery of this education are additional layers that impact the quality of patient care for newborns and their parents. This special environment requires a patient engagement platform that is tailored to the unique needs of new mothers, babies, and families. Recognizing this, Journey PX recently developed Journey PX Mother Baby, a new solution designed specifically for mother-baby units, which delivers vital health education, prepare parents and newborns for discharge, and enhances the overall patient experience.

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To hear more from Debbie Young about the doula’s role in patient care, including assisting the nursing team and additional benefits doulas provide, listen to her full PX Space interview with host Linda Robinson, MSN, CPXP, RN, below.

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Written with contributing author Linda Robinson, MSN, CPXP, RN, Vice President of Clinical Excellence, MDM Healthcare

The healthcare industry has continued to evolve rapidly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and in response to challenges such as workforce shortages, more complex patient cases, and the rise of telehealth.

Some industry professionals have turned to innovative ideas about care delivery models to adapt to these challenges.

One department at the University of Louisville Health has recently adopted a new interdisciplinary care team model that places pharmacists at the bedside with a patient assignment in an unconventional role, adding another expert to the bedside care team. The University of Louisville Health execs came up with the supplemental care delivery model program in response to the nursing shortage.

A recent study published by McKinsey and Company suggests that if there are no changes in current care delivery models, there will be a gap of 200,000 to 450,000 nurses nationwide by 2025. Conversely, for every 1 percent expansion of capacity—created through changes in care delivery models, technology-enabled productivity tools, or alternative sites of care settings for patients—the number of nurses needed would decrease by about 25,000. Recently Linda Robinson, MSN, RN, CPXP, Vice President of Clinical Excellence, MDM Healthcare, spoke with two members of the University of Louisville Health team—Tara Neuner DNP, RN, CCRN Mixed Acuity Professional Development Practitioner, and Amy Braden PharmD, BCPS Manager of Inpatient Pharmacy Operations about the topic.

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Braden explained that the University of Louisville Health executive leadership team considered various ideas, and ultimately decided to bring in pharmacists, who are medication experts, onto a unit to become more directly involved with patient care, providing patients with not only medication education but the administration of medications as well.

Braden said the conditions that gave birth to the innovation of the model adopted by the University of Louisville Health team. Questions such as: “‘What can we do to combat this nursing shortage?’ ‘We are seeing some pharmacies close in the area, with the disruption in retail pharmacies, is there an opportunity to bring pharmacists into the patient care model?’ We asked ourselves what we can do with our care model to change some of the ways that we are taking care of our patients and have a better interdisciplinary approach,” she said.

The University of Louisville team decided to integrate pharmacists directly into the care model so they could collaborate with nurses and become a part of the care team at the bedside. Thus, the pharmaco-management pharmacist program was born.

Braden elaborated on why bringing pharmacists on to the bedside care team has been so beneficial.

“[These pharmacists] are a bit of a hybrid. They are bringing in a lot of their retail experience and their ability to connect and talk with patients. They are also administering medications on the unit, which is something very new. These pharmacists took on a whole wealth of knowledge as far as medication administration, different routes of administration,” she said.

Neuner explained that she developed an educational program that started with the fundamentals of nursing and simulations with mannequins. Much focus was placed on medication administration routes and techniques as well as hospital protocols, policies, and procedures. Many of the skills were new and not part of the skill set of a retail pharmacist. Three months after training was completed, real-life patient scenario competency sessions were held that required the pharmaco-management pharmacists to perform their duties in a simulated environment. Neuner also provides continuing education sessions when new situations arise. She makes sure that they are comfortable, prepared, and have all the resources that they need.

Nuener described how the pharmaco-management pharmacists have brought a new level of patient and nursing support onto the trauma stroke unit. Neuner said the pharmacists on the unit have given her great feedback. "They love it, they have built relationships with the nurses with the unit secretary, when we brought them back down to their follow up class, their competency class, we found that they also have formed relationships with the patients and they were just happy and ecstatic, "she said.

The extra education, personalization, and support the new model has provided patients is extremely beneficial. Nurses on the unit have also had additional burdens lifted from their shoulders, as Braden explained.

“I know one of the big things that one of the charge nurses on the unit said was that sometimes they don’t have the time to get to the meds because they are so focused on other tasks.” She further explained that putting pharmacists on the unit gives patients the chance to ask questions from different expert members of the care team, which is an optimal care model.

Transitions of care was another area the University of Louisville Health team was hoping to expand with the new program. “The way that we have our pharmacists set up right now, they try to participate in transitions of care as much as possible. We have our internal medicine pharmacists who are helping facilitate discharge by getting meds to beds from our outpatient pharmacy that is on site. Also, by making sure that patients know the importance of their medications before they leave to ensure that they get their prescriptions,” said Braden.

She also explained that the new model has helped support patient’s readiness for discharge.

“We are trying to decrease readmissions and increase continuity of care as much as possible. But by having these extra pharmacists on the unit, we are really making sure that every single patient has this opportunity. We are really trying to tee them up for success in advance,” she said.

Healthcare organizations can also transform their care delivery plan by investing in the right patient engagement technology. Journey PX supports care delivery by leaning down clinical workflows, closing gaps in communication, and allowing healthcare professionals to meet with patients virtually at the bedside via a secure connection through the patient’s in-room TV.

Robinson shed some light on how Journey PX can accomplish this.

“Having been a nurse for 35 years, I find the model adopted by the University of Louisville transformational. Seeing how care delivery models are evolving is exciting. Another thing I have seen is organizations bringing healthcare experts into the patient room virtually. If you cannot create a supplemental model with real bodies, virtual is a wonderful way to accomplish that,” she said.

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Journey PX solutions also prepare patients for discharge by keeping them informed of their daily plan of care, providing individualized education, and streamlining communications between patients, families, and care teams. Journey PX facilitates hospital organizations in hard-wiring bedside shift reports, one of the biggest drivers of quality and safety.

Journey PX can also create a meds-to-beds program that is customized to the unique needs and designs of hospitals. Journey PX can integrate with the EMR and engage the patient at the bedside via prompts, medication education, and pharmacy information to drive medication health literacy. Read more about the topic in a recent feature article on the subject.

To hear more from Tara Neuner and Amy Braden about the topic, listen to the full PX Space podcast interview below.

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Written with contributing author Linda Robinson, MSN, CPXP, RN, Vice President of Clinical Excellence, MDM Healthcare 

Rick Rolfsen, DNP, RN, has had an unconventional pathway to his successful nursing career. In a recent PX Space podcast interview, host Linda Robinson MSN, CPXP, RN, spoke with Rolfsen, who is a friend and former colleague. In the interview, Rolfsen shared his insights on the nursing profession, his teaching experiences, and how his career as a nurse has allowed him to pursue his passions, including a fun opportunity with the Cincinnati Bengals.

“My path to nursing was a little less traditional than most. Growing up I didn’t think much about nursing as a career as I played a lot of sports and initially was studying to be an athletic trainer in college,” he said.

He explained his career goals started to change as his studies continued and he was given a suggestion to consider studying to become a nurse.

“It was the mid-eighties, and there weren’t a whole lot of men getting into nursing. It was a time when it was just starting to evolve with more men getting into the field,” he said.

Rolfsen has found unique ways to incorporate his passion for sports into his profession. He volunteers as the medical staff for the Covington Catholic High School Football Team and volunteers on the medical team that does semi-annual check-ups for his favorite NFL team, the Cincinnati Bengals. These opportunities allow him to combine his love for sports with his nursing expertise.

Rolfsen explained that once he began his career as an RN, not only did he love his job, but several opportunities for career growth and additional education emerged for him. These opportunities led him to earn both Master's and Doctorate degrees in nursing, as well as his current positions as a professor and full-time ER nurse. Currently, Rolfsen inspires the next generation of nurses as a nursing professor at Thomas More University in Crestview Hills, KY. He also works as a charge nurse at St. Elizabeth Emergency Department in Covington, KY, and -as a staff nurse at Cincinnati Children’s Medical Center Orthopedics.

Rolfsen's career demonstrates that nursing is a diverse profession that allows individuals to help people and incorporate their interests into their work. His experiences also highlight the importance of mentorship and passing on knowledge to the next generation of nurses. He explained that the COVID-19 pandemic has mainly had a positive impact on his new classes of incoming students. He stated that although a few nursing students did drop out of fear initially, mainly the numbers at his university stayed the same. He also expressed that these students saw the important role healthcare workers played during the pandemic and were drawn into the profession because they wanted to help.

“Kids were telling us that they saw what was going on and they wanted to help. During the pandemic, people were praising nurses for the hard work they were doing. Nurses were showing up and working on the front lines and that drew more kids into nursing,” he said.

The team at Journey PX is passionate about partnering with nursing teams to transform care delivery models. Guided by recommendations from a seasoned team of experts, the cutting-edge, cloud-based patient engagement platform offers solutions that save clinicians steps and time, allowing them to lean down clinical workflows and offload non-clinical tasks. Journey PX offers patient engagement solutions that are uniquely designed to allow nurses more dedicated time at the bedside with their patients. The Journey PX solution My Stay, offers patients access to an extensive library of patient education videos, giving patients access to the health education they need to become more informed about their condition and proactive about their care. Nurses can support the patient by auto-assigning them an individualized education plan that is particular to their health needs. The Journey PX Connect solution also offers nurses the capability of securely connecting via video in the patient’s room, which allows them more access to patients, saves them valuable time, and helps keep them safe, reducing exposure.

In a time when nurses face more challenges than ever, with burnout from the COVID-19 pandemic and a workforce shortage, Rolfsen's story offers new perspectives and hope to future nurses. His unconventional path to a successful nursing career breaks down common stereotypes and illustrates the variety of enriching benefits the career offers. As a nurse, educator, and sports enthusiast, Rolfsen's experiences show how the nursing profession can be a pathway to success in many different areas of life.

You can hear more insights from Rolfsen in his PX Space podcast interview with host Linda Robinson.

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Written with contributing author Linda Robinson, MSN, CPXP, RN, Vice President of Clinical Excellence, MDM Healthcare 

February is National Heart Health Month. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, and strokes are number 5. The CDC also states that approximately one person dies every 34 seconds in the United States from cardiovascular disease. 

MDM Healthcare Vice President of Clinical Excellence Linda Robinson, MSN, CPXP, RN, recently sat down and discussed heart health with Dr. Creighton B. Wright, an acclaimed cardiac and thoracic surgeon. Dr. Wright, who retired from clinical practice last May, has earned an extensive list of prestigious awards and medals for military service throughout his career. These include being honored by The American Heart Association with several awards: The Kaplan Visionary Physician Award, The Award of Excellence, the Distinguished Achievement Award, and most recently with the inaugural Creighton B. Wright Leadership Impact Award, which he accepted at the Greater Cincinnati Heart Ball on February 3rd. 

Dr. Wright used the metaphor of a house to explain the way the heart functions. “Basically, when we talk about the heart, we talk about our rooms, our doors, our electricity, and our plumbing. We have the atria and the ventricles, which are the rooms, we have the electrical system, which relates to pacemakers, and other electrical aspects, the ablations and the treatment for atrial fibrillation and the arrhythmia, like we saw with the cardiac arrest recently that took place on the Bengals field, and then the plumbing, which for many people are the coronary bypasses. So we have the inflow through the coronary arteries and the outflow through the veins. The disease processes are blockages in the arteries, from hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, and other elements that cause obstruction of the blood vessels, and Angina pectoris, or coronary events which cause myocardial infarction, the heart attack that most people are so frightened of,” he said.   

He further explained how the treatment has continued to evolve over the years. He explained that when he was first trained as a cardiovascular surgeon, in 1971 coronary bypass surgery was just beginning to become a common procedure. He also explained how technology used for treatment has evolved over time, noting that the modern-day pacemaker was optimized using technology from NASA scientists. “During my career, we have developed better procedures to open those blood vessels, or in the circumstances where it is a long segment, we bypass it. So much of the coronary bypass work has evolved to arterial grafts. So, the internal thoracic artery or the radial artery as well as saphenous, veins from the legs are used as the detours the bypasses around a given blockage like you would have on a street you take, take a detour, take an alternate pathway around that blockage,” he said. 

Dr. Wright shared some insights into heart disease prevention noting that in addition to monitoring cholesterol, lifestyle factors such as obesity, exercise, stress levels, and smoking all play a part in heart health. He also mentioned genetics as another primary indicator for a heart disease diagnosis. “You can’t pick your grandparents; the gene pool is the gene pool. You can, however, modify your behavior, and certainly obesity and smoking are two major health impacts I have had to deal with as a physician,” he said. A healthy diet, regular exercise, and giving up unhealthy behaviors are some ways patients can combat heart disease.  

Dr. Wright noted the importance of patients receiving health education from the right sources, so that information is as up-to-date and accurate as possible. “That's why we work with the American Heart Association, we try to do evidence-based education. There are lots of scientific programs locally and nationally where much of the current science is presented on an annual basis. People are working from the cellular level to the total human level to try to enhance heart knowledge and heart care,” he said.  

The importance of accurate health information from the right sources is a concept that is also embraced by Journey PX. Journey PX’s patient engagement solutions drive communication and crucial health education, even when clinicians are not in the room. The extensive library of patient education videos offered through the My Stay solution keeps heart and stroke patients informed and educated about their care throughout their hospital stay. The education library can be embedded in the EMR and can be automated or manually deployed based on stroke and or heart health risk factors, treatments, or diagnoses. Once the education is completed, it can auto-document the completion and comprehension back into the EMR. In addition, Journey PX’s Connect solution allows for secure virtual rounding and provider visits. The combination of these features saves clinicians valuable time and steps and provides patients with a richer patient experience. My Stay also allows vital health education to be delivered via email and text upon discharge for both patients and their caregivers.  

Dr. Wright “We need to make sure that we are communicating on a level that is understandable to the patient, whether it is language, culture, or education level. We have medical languages, which are different. So, we can use terms such as osteodystrophy and myocardial infarction, but the key is to be sure that we are explaining these medical concepts in terms that everybody can understand and to make sure patients can comprehend this knowledge,” he said.  

This is another concept Wright mentioned that is echoed by the team at Journey PX, which is designed to make sure that anything that goes on the Digital Whiteboard, My Day Today, is in a language patients can understand. “We never want patients to become frustrated or afraid to ask questions in the hospital,” said Robinson. She continued to explain that this philosophy extends to the videos Journey PX houses in the health education library, My Stay. Patients are best served by technology that is intuitive and easy to use. If patients can use a TV remote, they can use the cloud-based patient engagement solution Journey PX. It integrates with the hospital’s electronic medical records (EMR), so it displays accurate real-time information. Displaying information in this way is something that drives positive outcomes.  

Finally, Dr. Wright, who served as an Army Colonel in both the Vietnam and Gulf wars, mentioned that the US Military has had a problem recruiting medical personnel and doctors, and encouraged students to consider turning to the US military service as it had significant benefits including scholarships. “We need patriots," said Dr. Wright. 

You can hear more from Dr. Wright about heart health by listening to the PX Space podcast interview. To view more information on heart disease and stroke, and to support the cause, head to the American Heart Association website.

Written with contributing author Linda Robinson, MSN, CPXP, RN, Vice President of Clinical Excellence, MDM Healthcare

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The healthcare industry has become increasingly open to technology following the COVID-19 pandemic. New innovations in technology have given healthcare organizations the ability to transform the hospital environment. Digital display technology provides a more modern and rich experience for patients, families, and care teams. Recently, nursing thought leader Linda Robinson, MSN, CPXP, RN spoke with Chase Natoli, the Executive Vice President of Technical Sales at MDM Commercial about the topic.

Natoli works with an expert pro AV team to provide innovative display products including digital signage, DVLED displays, and video walls.

“I like to call it a digital canvas because there should really be an overarching strategy,” said Natoli.

The Pro AV team at MDM Commercial also provides essential additional signage solutions throughout each stage of the project from consultation and project planning to installation, integration, and training.

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“We spend a lot of time developing these solutions, and thankfully we have an incredibly talented team behind us and some wonderful partners to help get through these things and build these projects. I love the exploratory phase of sitting down with our clients trying to understand their vision and what they see for themselves,” said Natoli. “Providing the support and the training for our clients is something we pride ourselves on. We want to make sure they are given the knowledge and ability to take control over the content of their displays.”

Digital displays provide healthcare organizations with many capabilities, such as helping patients navigate the facility, get educational content, and receive crucial information.

“Now with technology advancements, we are in a unique position to be able to really help ease the stress and burden of some of the aspects of hospital visits, even to the extent of being able to impact the experience before the patients or loved ones even leave their house. For example, through an email with guided instructions or a Google Maps type experience, if you will, of getting them from their house to the parking garage, from their parking garage to wherever they need to go within the facility,” explained Natoli.

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Natoli discussed several ways hospitals are using Pro AV technology, including providing interactive experiences, enhanced wayfinding throughout hospital facilities, real-time information absorption, modern digital art, robot guides, and more. “Once you get the canvas on the side of the building the sky really is the limit in terms of how creative we can get with the content. We have a great in-house content team, aside from that, we have the expert technical team and the developers who can integrate with these different backend systems in the hospital to provide useful information to people as they are beginning that journey, too,” he said.

“We are at a point with the advancements in DVLED (Direct View LED) technology and outdoor displays that you are starting to see screens pop up on the side of the building, whether it be for advertising purposes or informational purposes such as providing emergency room wait times and integrating with a check-in platform within the hospital.”

Natoli discussed additional innovative ways digital signage is being used in hospital settings including providing screens for digital donor walls, and informational screens for patients in waiting rooms.

“It really starts from the outside of the building, whether it is for real time information absorption, a wayfinding experience delivered through the mobile phone or education delivered through the mobile phone, like what we do with the Journey PX platform. Another example is kiosks for wayfinding outside for a larger campus all the way into, you know, right into the main entrance,” he said.

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He also mentioned the advanced capabilities his team has when using digital signage for artistic deployments inside hospitals.

“We can do curved screens, concave and convex. We can do angled screens to wrap around walls, and it has allowed us to leverage an artistic utility and provide a stunning element. We have had some clients that have gone as far as to do that type of project as a centerpiece and utilizing such techniques as biophilic content for these projects,” he said.

This type of visual stimulation can bring the stress levels of visitors and staff down, which is incredibly impactful in a stressful hospital environment.

Natoli noted a past project in a cancer treatment wing at a hospital.

“We have a highly creative solution deployed where patients can take a walk through the journey of what treatment is going to look like and see the genetics and the care teams that they are going to be working with. It is about a 120-page experience as you navigate through it deployed on a 55-inch touchscreen monitor that is kept up to date. There are embedded videos for education in it as well. Between what we are doing on the signage side and even through the Journey PX platform, I think we are striving to be a part of the solution to help ease the stress at hospitals and keep people informed,” he said.

This is an idea echoed by Robinson, who advises the Journey PX team as the Vice President of Clinical Excellence at MDM Healthcare.

“We live in a day and age where there is a lot of noise. There are a lot of things thrown at all of us everywhere we go—even in these environments in the healthcare space—which is a problem. Our brains get trained to just filter this stuff out and ignore it. I think all of us at MDM put in a lot of work to be a part of the solution,” she said.

Another application for hospital digital signage is digital menus in hospital eateries.

“We have a lot of those deployed in various hospitals. Our content team has developed extensive menus that are themed,” Natoli said.

Robinson noted that this type of signage not only drives hospital revenue but elevates the experience for hospital visitors, staff, and patients.

Digital canvases also help healthcare organizations strengthen and elevate their brand.

“The brands themselves become stronger when all areas that display their messages are aligned, whether it is physically on-site at the healthcare campus or receiving information through email or visiting the website. It provides a consistent experience for everybody from the top down,” Natoli said.

In an era where modern technology drives progress in all industries, including the healthcare industry, Pro AV solutions can significantly elevate and modernize the hospital experience for those who visit and work there.

“It is not just the medical personnel in a hospital that impact the patient experience, it takes a variety of experts to provide that rich experience and space of wellness for patients and their families. The Pro AV technology really helps do that,” said Robinson. “It is an exciting space to be in, and I think as technology has evolved, it has provided some great tools to put information in the hands of those that need it. We hope we are having a significant impact on the overall experience people have as they go on their journey through the healthcare system,” said Natoli.

Listen to the full podcast episode below and connect with Chase and the Pro AV team at MDM Commercial online.

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Listen to the full podcast interview with Chase Natoli below.

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Video has increasingly become a popular medium for education. The medium has proven to be an effective way to convey information and engage learners. In the healthcare industry, video education can be particularly useful for promoting health literacy. An article published in The Journal for Nurse Practitioners states, “Patient-education needs to be a central priority in every patient encounter. The use of technology can convey complicated ideas by pictures, video, and multimedia, which transcend the spoken and written word and provide opportunities to bridge the divide of limited health literacy.”

Animation is a powerful tool in health videos, particularly when it comes to conveying complex ideas and improving the clarity and effectiveness of health videos. Animators can create visual aids that help to clarify and simplify health information. It also is a form of engaging content that can hold the attention of viewers and enhance their learning experience. Recently, MDM Healthcare Vice President of Clinical Excellence Linda Robinson, MSN, CPXP, RN sat down with Tim Jones, Emmy award-winning animator, CEO and Co-Founder of Health Nuts Media.

He explained that the use of video content to promote health literacy goes as far back as World War II when the U.S. Department of Defense commissioned artists such as legendary director Frank Capra and writer Theodor Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss, to help them produce training videos for soldiers. “They decided to create these animated films to help these newly inducted soldiers understand the information that was going to help keep them alive. I find it interesting that in some way what I do today has been around for eighty or ninety years,” said Jones.

After a successful Hollywood career, including receiving an Emmy award, Jones became involved with animating content for the Starlight Foundation, who asked him to help produce animated videos for teens with cancer.

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He explained that the impact these videos made was apparent after a young cancer survivor expressed that these videos helped her in her fight with the disease. Jones reflects on how powerful this moment was for his career. “I love animation, the storytelling, and the artistry but it was not until that moment that I realized the impact it had made. I thought it was for entertainment only and I really did not fully understand that it could be such an effective tool and make such a difference in people’s lives. So that is how I got started,” he said. In 2010, he co-founded Health Nuts Media, which is now healthcare’s leading producer of health-related animation.

Jones also explained that animation can be used to depict scenarios or processes that may be difficult to capture through live-action video. “Animation can create an authentic connection with the audience in a way no other medium can. In animation, we suspend our disbelief and buy into the animated world. When we use animation and humor to make a more poignant point it can be really effective,” he said.

He also discussed the use of animation and video to promote health literacy. He referenced case studies that support the fact that people are more likely to retain information obtained by watching a video as opposed to a pamphlet, or even verbal instruction. “Both short-term knowledge and long-term retention is improved when health knowledge is obtained from watching a video,” he said.

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Animated videos allow for enhanced storytelling, which is another one of its unique benefits Jones noted. “We focus on is the storytelling and the message of why this is important. A lot of the successful patient education really is impactful on an emotional level,” he said.

Standout, impactful content is one of the reasons MDM Healthcare is proud to list Health Nuts Media as a content partner. MDM Healthcare’s innovative patient engagement platform, Journey PX, elevates the patient and care team experience through technology solutions. Solutions such as My Stay, which offers patients a substantial education library that covers an extensive list of medical conditions and medications. This resource, coupled with Journey PX’s integration with the EMR, provides hospital care teams with the ability to auto-assign education in an individualized manner in response to a patient’s unique set of needs.

Jones also touched on the fact that due to advances in technology, patients now can watch education after discharge, which is even more impactful when it comes to their retention.

Journey PX allows for video education that is assigned during the patient's stay to also be sent via text or email to the patient for viewing at home to reinforce learning. Journey PX can also embed individualized patient education in the patient’s portal for home viewing to aid in answering any questions the patient may have once they are home.

You can view more about Health Nuts Media, including some examples of their animation on their website.

Listen to the full podcast interview with Tim Jones below.

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