2012 OPEN FORUM Abstracts
DEVELOPMENT OF AN ONLINE EQUIPMENT SETUP MANUAL: STANDARDIZING EQUIPMENT SETUPS TO COMPLEMENT PATIENT SAFETY AND STAFF EDUCATION.
Abby Motz; Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, Cincinnati Childrens Hospital and Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH
Background: Education and standardization of respiratory equipment setups is an important factor when considering patient safety. New equipment and therapies are continually advancing and transforming the way respiratory care is delivered. Respiratory Therapists (RTs) have a professional responsibility to themselves and their patients to stay competent on the latest therapies and equipment. To ensure ongoing safety and to complement the education we provide, an online tool was devised to standardize the respiratory equipment setups done throughout our 507-bed institution. An equipment setup manual was formulated to help facilitate ordering the supplies for the setups and the actual setup process. The equipment manual encompasses: color photos of all equipment setups, corresponding charge-capture numbers, detailed setup instructions, and the divisional guideline/policy associated with each piece of equipment. The manual was designed in a PDF format so the RTs can quickly view and print the desired equipment setup. This manual was placed on our hospitals intranet system, via the Respiratory Care Divisions intranet site, for easy accessibility. Method: An anonymous survey was developed and distributed to our institutions 200 RTs to evaluate the effectiveness and usage of the online equipment manual. Questions were based on manual usage within the past twelve month period. Results: There was a 45% (n=90) compliance from the RTs in completing the survey. Survey results revealed the following: 34.4% (n=31) indicated that they access the equipment manual at least one day per month, 18.9% (n=17) accessed the manual at least six times within the past twelve months, and 22.2% (n=20) accessed the manual at least once in the past twelve months. Additionally, 77.7% (n=70) of the respondents thought the information provided within the equipment manual was relevant to their daily practice. Furthermore, 84.5% (n=76) thought that maintaining/updating the equipment manual was a worth-while investment for the division. Conclusion: Based on the survey results, not only is the respiratory equipment manual utilized often, but it appears to be a useful adjunct to annual education that is valued as a resource by the RTs within our institution. In addition to being a worth-while investment for the division, the equipment manual ensures that all of respiratory equipment setups are done in a safe and consistent manner. Sponsored Research - None