“ Impact at the frontline... is the essence of clinical care” |
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PowerPoint and then have people take a test and deem them competent,” she stresses, adding that it’ s important that education covers the“ why” behind the practice, as well as the“ how” to actually perform the work.
Developing specialty area champions within units can help fill knowledge gaps and maintain consistent care from the frontline.“ When we develop those champions, staff engage more because they start to see that person as a resource,” Salao
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explains.“ And then those champions bring back feedback from the frontline teams.”
Dr. Steinhauer shares a creative example from a previous organization: Skin champions developed a series of five- to seven-minute educational videos on topics such as wound measurement, and staging and identifying wounds. On prevalence measurement days, after all the monitoring was complete, the skin champions would take their iPads throughout the
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department and share the videos with the frontline staff.“ The feedback we got from staff was, they much preferred this micro learning over sitting in a classroom or at a computer and clicking through modules.”
Recognizing successes Recognizing the work of both the champions and the frontline staff helps keep energy and momentum strong for prevention. At Ohio State, managers use the Bravo system to award points for exemplary
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actions. Salao’ s team celebrates successes in huddles and on hospital monitors where they announce achievements and recognize teams in photos.“ Everyone enjoys seeing one another on those screens— it’ s inspiring and encouraging.”
Both organizations make quality measures visible. Dr. Steinhauer describes digital boards displaying days since the last CLABSI or CAUTI, keeping prevention top of mind for staff. Shared governance councils monitor outcomes and ensure that frontline staff are informed and involved. Salao’ s team uses monitors and huddles to celebrate improvements and recognize departments that excel.
Prevention begins at the frontline, but it flourishes when leaders are present, staff are empowered, and everyone is engaged in continuous learning and improvement. By fostering trust, peer accountability and individual and group recognition, and by making education accessible and relevant, healthcare organizations can drive meaningful change.
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