Simulation in the Community Hospital:

Utilizing the Evidence Without Breaking

the Bank

Poster Presentation

Simulation as an adult education technique has

been shown to be a powerful tool for the health

care team. Adult education theory written as early

as 1916 identi¢es the importance of methodology

to assist with the adult learner.

In the 2005 Joint Commission report on perinatal

deaths from1995 to 2004, communication between

team members was cited as one of the leading

causes of death to mothers and babies. Simulation

has given us a tool to work on one of our biggest

de¢cits in emergent and routine care of the

mother/fetal dyad. Community hospitals are pres-

ently feeling signi¢cant ¢nancial restraints. The

temptation to reduce education at a time of tighten-

ing budgets has occurred nationally. My community

was a¡ected not only by the national and global

economy in 2008 to 2009 but by its’ worst natural

disaster, a devastating £ood.Therefore, my hospital

has like many others been forced to be very creative

in maintaining standards but also tightening its belt.

The challenge is the expense of administering a

simulation program in the community hospital

setting. St. Luke’s has used simulation for all mem-

bers of the perinatal team for the past 4 years.

Negotiation and planning of budgets between ad-

ministration and those responsible for education is

vital. Administration also must have a fundamental

belief of the signi¢cance of simulation and the in-

vestment it provides to sta¡ and maintaining safety

as the umbrella that everything else falls under.

Champions in all disciplines and specialties must

be utilized to assist with development of ongoing

drills.

Educators must continue to use data to support

their programming and utilize simulation through-

out orientation, competencies, and ongoing drills

for all team members. Data kept from simulation

evaluations, sentinel events data, and anecdotal

reports from debrie¢ngs of emergent events that

sta¡ have experienced can be utilized to support

the investment that simulation requires.

Using Science and Having Fun

Poster Presentation

The health care providers at Baylor University

Medical Center’s Antepartum Unit have devel-

oped several group activities that assist with early

identi¢cation and reduction of the incidence of de-

pression associated with long-term hospitalization.

These group sessions provide patients with much-

needed emotional support, education on their

pregnancy, social time, and craft activities. While

completing crafts such as knitted caps and scrap-

booking for other moms with babies in the

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), patients dis-

cuss their concerns, emotions, and anxieties.

These group sessions are facilitated by experi-

enced sta¡ members who support positive com-

munication and provide referrals to the necessary

discipline as needed. Working with the psychology

department, our health care providers have devel-

oped a survey tool to evaluate the e¡ectiveness of

these group sessions.

Because of their unique needs our patients

must have the bene¢t of science to treat their phys-

ical needs as well as the bene¢t of a multi-

disciplinary team to support their emotional and

spiritual needs.

Julie Zimmerman, RNC, MSN,

St. Luke’s Hospital, Cedar

Rapids, IA

ProfessionalIssues

Elizabeth Eaton, RN,

Baylor University

Medical Center, Dallas, TX

Amber Mullins, BSN,

RNC-OB, Baylor University

Medical Center, Dallas, TX

ProfessionalIssues

S84 JOGNN, 39, S48-S84; 2010. DOI: 10.1111/j.1552-6909.2010.01119.x http://jognn.awhonn.org

I N N O V A T I V E P R O G R A M S

Proceedings of the 2010 AWHONN Annual Convention