aids. The buy-in was almost instantaneous when we shared how the
program benefits patient care in the medical center's main ORs and
how it could do the same in the ASC.
Always striving
Though we have the basics of the program in place, we continue to
work to improve the protocol and make the program even stronger.
One of the ways we do this is through our auditing process. Every
month, an RN reviews 10 cases flagged as high risk to ensure that
pre-, intra- and post-op interventions were followed. If the nurse dis-
covers that the prevention protocol was not followed in any case,
we conduct a peer-to-peer conversation, which we have found much
more effective than having leadership discuss the issue with the
staff member. We also include these audit results as an agenda item
at every OR staff meeting.
Overall, we're very proud of our results. Our hospital's financial
department is, too. We've recently estimated the costs we've avoided
with our pressure injury protocol and found, based on the estimations
of what the treatments would cost if our patients developed pressure
injuries, we've saved $136,000 in 2015, $92,000 in 2016 and $90,000 in
2017. In 2018 and so far this year, we've spent nothing on treating
pressure injuries. Our hospital's senior leaders have backed our pre-
vention efforts from the start. They understand that the money invest-
ed in the program has avoided the costs of treating avoidable skin
injuries and provides our patients with safer care. It's been a win-win
for all.
OSM
O C T O B E R 2 0 1 9 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T • 4 9
Ms. Kimsey (kimseydi@einstein.edu) is the perioperative educator at Einstein
Medical Center Montgomery in East Norriton, Pa.
