Collaboration Across the MGH Learning Community
To date, more than 1,250 nurses from 100 organizations have participated in the free Maine Nursing Preceptor Education Program.
Staff StoryJul | 29 | 2020
Usually during the annual Patient Safety Awareness Week in March, the hospital celebrates its Patient Safety Stars for going above and beyond the call of duty to provide a safer care environment for patients, visitors and staff. However, 2020 has been anything but usual. Although the COVID-19 pandemic made an in-person celebration impossible, this year’s recipients will be recognized in upcoming editions of Mass General Hotline.
Aliesha Bennett, RN, Allergy and Immunology
During a regular allergy clinic injection, a patient being treated by Aliesha Bennett, RN, of Mass General's Allergy & Clinical Immunology Unit, showed symptoms indicating a brain hemorrhage. Immediately, Bennett intervened and sent the patient to the Emergency Department. She was taken to the Operating Room for a craniotomy. Bennett’s ability to recognize symptoms, act quickly and get the patient timely access to care helped save the life of the patient, who continues to receive regular allergy injections and continues to tell the story of Bennett’s actions.
Perioperative Pharmacists Role In Intraoperative Resuscitation
Responding to emergencies in the Operating Room can be stressful and chaotic. Adam Dalia, MD, and Chris Aiudi, MD, both in Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, and Jevon Oliver, PharmD, MS, manager, Perioperative Pharmacy Services, identified an opportunity to improve the response to emergencies by adding a pharmacist to the response team to assist in securing and documenting medications given during the emergency. The project evolved into a comprehensive study of emergency response in the operating room with the goal of streamlining response and identifying roles to reduce confusion during these challenging situations.
PICU Evidence Based Practice Committee
Medication safety for our pediatric patients is of utmost importance due to their vulnerability. The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) Practice Committee defined a team goal: To consistently flush all intravenous medication lines to ensure entire intended doses are given. The team recognized if a medication in a bag is not flushed, or if it is given through a primary line, the patient will not receive the correct dose, leaving approximately 20cc of medication in the line. Also, frequent connection and disconnection from central lines for intermittent medication can be a source of infection. With a designated medication line, this can be avoided. The practice was changed, and education provided by this committee helped institute this new practice.
To date, more than 1,250 nurses from 100 organizations have participated in the free Maine Nursing Preceptor Education Program.
Jonathan Slutzman, MD, director of the MGH Center for the Environment and Health, discusses sustainability efforts across Massachusetts General Hospital.
Malinda Buck, a patient access bed manager supervisor in the MGH Capacity Center, is determined to get patients where they need to be: in rooms, healing, and then going home.
Alysia Monaco, AGACNP-BC of MGH Cardiac Surgery, discusses treating patients and colleagues like family.
Erin Hachey, RN, of Bigelow 11, and Ben Orcutt, director of MGH Patient Access Services, work together daily to mitigate capacity challenges, yet they typically only communicate through an app called Voalte.
Amber Moore, MD, director of Inpatient Medicine in the Department of Medicine, is working to improve the process of patients seeking to transfer in from other care facilities.