1. Medication Communication
Cathy Patton, MA, RN
Chris Tarver, MS, RN, CNS
May 2, 2013

2. Med Communication Questions
Before giving you any new medicine, how often did hospital staff tell you what the medicine was for? Before giving you any new medicine, how often did hospital staff describe possible side effects in a way you could understand?

3. HCAHPS Medication Communication Questions
One of the lower scoring for many (all?) hospitals

4. History of Medication Communication Staff Education
“Blitz” Education: June 2012

5. History: Med Pass Competency and Peer Review

6. Best Practices: Daily Med List
Piloted on Med/Surg Oncology and Progressive Care Unit; each day new list is printed and old is discarded
Worked with Clinical Informatics and I.T.
During pilot, the nurses had to manually add a nursing order to create a daily task …
Once housewide, it is now auto-generated order from the Nursing Admission Assessment

7. Automated Med List Order . . .

8. Generates Task to Chart Against . . .

9. Printing Saga
Pilot Phase: Was a “demand print” meaning the nurses had to manually print out per patient Initial go-live: Printed out automatically at same time around 4pm (room # order), but it was too late for the unit clerks to organize by nurse assignment Current: Print job has been moved to between 2p to 3p – allows flexibility to organize and distribute for nurses to document

10. The Actual Form!! <<handout>>

11. Laminated Side Effects Cards
Attached to all bedside computers and WOWs
Developed by Pharmacy
Developed from feedback from nurses requesting tool for side effects education
<<handout>>

12. Added “Components” Side Effects recent add A LOT of work to program
Not every med

13. Patients taking their own meds

14. Unintended Issue . . .
Patient mistook the Daily Med List for the Discharge Meds

15. Outcomes/Lessons Learned
Most patients; even more families, love it.
Took a while for nurses to buy in
Some forgot to throw away old lists, and they piled up in the room
We have caught med rec errors
Missing meds
Wrong doses

16. Engaging the Patient Inspired by Magnet Conference Break Out Session
“MEDS (Medications, Explanations, Dosages, Side Effects): A Successful Strategy to Improve HCAHPS Medication Scores” (C106)
Presented by Rex Healthcare in Raleigh, NC
Outlined a 10-step strategy

17. “Always Ask/Always Tell” Campaign
Decals for the glass boards (white boards)

18. “MEDS” Acronym
M = Medication E = Explanation D = Dosage S = Side Effects

19. HCAPHS Results

20. Sustaining Daily Complex Inpatient (non-MCH) MCH
Vice Chief Reports Our 3 HCAHPS Focus Scores
Nurse Communication
Staff Responsiveness
Medication Communication
Reinforce During Bar Coding Go Live

21. Questions?
Chris Tarver THANK YOU!!