ASHEBORO - Randolph Hospital’s dedication to quality enhancements and putting the patient first have once again resulted in recognition, this time by the North Carolina Virginia Hospital Engagement Network, shortened to NoCVA.
The awards, presented recently, were for Randolph Hospital’s efforts to reduce hospital-acquired conditions and readmissions as a member of the NoCVA. The first award was for Outstanding Team Engagement for Improving Patient and Family Engagement. The second was for Outstanding Team Engagement for Enhancing Maternal/Child OB (Obstetrics) Safety. Each award represents years of hard work and collaboration.
Randolph Hospital participated along with more than 100 other North Carolina and Virginia hospitals and in the end, just nine awards were given; Randolph Hospital won two. Representatives from all over the Randolph Hospital network comprised the teams and each benefitted from physician participation.
The Patient and Family Engagement team worked for the better part of a year, said Debbie Dowling, senior director of Quality Management, to create the Patient and Family Advisory Council tasked with involving patients and family members in the process improvement and development process.
“The Patient and Family Advisory Council is getting the voice of the patients and family to help us design and implement our processes,” Dowling said. “We really believe in our values and putting patients first.”
Chief Medical Officer Dr. Charles West and Chief Nursing Officer Tremonteo Crawford co-chair the Council of 16, which includes a number of patient and family advisors. Dowling said the Council is still recruiting patient and family advisors and hopes to have around five. Each patient and family advisor acts as the voice of the patients and family for discussion and input.
The OB Safety team also made several important strides toward improving patient safety.
“We’re using TeamSTEPPS, which is a national framework for improving patient safety and communication among providers of care,” Dowling said. “The OB team was learning some of those techniques. The OB team now debriefs after every C-section. It takes five minutes and we find out what went well and what could be improved.”
The team also began a new series of simulation training.
“Another thing the OB department is now doing is focused simulation education,” she said. “They are participating in simulating obstetrical emergencies.”
The program included training for the teams, one in Winston-Salem and one in Durham. It also included regular webinars and on multiple occasions, the NoCVA invited Randolph Hospital staff members to join as guest speakers.
The NoCVA is one of many hospital engagement networks (HEN) spread across the country.