January 5, 2010
New Heart Failure Sticker to appear on charts January 11
A Six Sigma project team on Heart Failure has changed some processes on the floors to more accurately identify heart failure patients. Part of the process change involves a new sticker that you will be seeing in the progress notes of some charts.
This sticker will be placed in the progress notes by the nursing staff when a patient is displaying clinical indications of heart failure, but yet may not be identified as such. We are asking that physicians initial the sticker to indicate their desire to initiate heart failure teaching. The nursing staff will then initiate or not, depending on the physician preference.
A copy of the sticker and the SBAR for it appears below. The Six Sigma team asks that you follow up when you see it, beginning on January 11, 2010.
CLINICAL INDICATION STICKER
Situation: Patients who have symptoms indicative of heart failure sometimes receive heart failure teaching by nursing staff when, in fact, the patient does not have heart failure and are receiving unnecessary, and sometimes frightening, patient education
Background: Nursing staff is required to do heart failure teaching on all patients displaying symptoms that could be indicative of heart failure. Some physicians were becoming upset by teaching they felt not appropriate for their patient.
Assessment: Continuing effort to properly identify, and teach, patients with heart failure
Recommendation: A sticker has been created that will be placed in the progress notes by the RN on those patients who have clinical indications of, but not yet diagnosed or identified, heart failure. The sticker allows the physician to check yes or no to initiating heart failure teaching by nursing staff
EXAMPLE
| This chart has been reviewed and a possible diagnosis of :
[ ] HF, [ ] MI, [ ] Pneumonia has been identified.
[ ] Confirm patient meets criteria and nursing should begin patient teaching with the appropriate Care Path.
MD notified by _____________________RN
Date: __________ Time: _________
MD Signature: ________________________
Date: __________ Time: _________ |
Contact Ans Van Uffelen at 493-6162 or Leslie Pratt at 493-7527 for any questions or concerns.