Nursing Communication

1. Nursing Communication How We do it at Seattle Children’s Hospital

2. Our Mission • In July of 2007 a selected group teamed together in a Rapid Process Improvement Workshop (RPIW). It was charged with designing a nursing communication process(es) for "need to know" (mandatory now and later) and "nice to know," (optional now and later)

3. Our Vision • Communication: Standardized and Simplified “What you need, when you need it!”

4. The plan… • Quadrant decision making tool • Standardized weekly nursing update • Standardized method for communication Urgent (Mandatory Now) communication • Standardized format with one location per unit (or floor if multiple floor unit) communication board • Unit specific SharePoint's

5. New Terms! • Quadrant: • Defines the pathway for nursing communication • Comm board (communication board) • Each unit has one standardized board for flyers • Compiler • Identified person in each nursing area that collates weekly emails into nursing bulleting • Urgent Email to nursing • For mandatory information needed by staff in next 24 hours…”Nursing Alert” email • Announcements on assignment sheet • Goes with email alert as announcements on assignment sheet that will also be followed up face to face by charge nurse or designee • SharePoint (software program similar to a web page but more interactive) • Each nursing area will have “one”…I will show you in a few slides • Weekly Nursing Bulletin (via email) • Sent out by Wednesday morning each week • Naked Bathroom walls • No more bathroom postings as of October 17th!!!

6. Mandatory Optional Message needs to get to nursing staff within 0-72 hrs. Might be a safety alert or security alert etc. but something you MUST know at the start of your shift Sign off on assignment sheet, face to face, and put in “Mandatory Now” section of communication board Charge RN if unit specific Nursing Supervisor if house wide And Email all staff RNs (w/ message flagged as “Mandatory Now”) Compiler • For mandatory events or changes occurring within 0-72hrs, such as: • Safety issues • JCAHO visit • Immediate Practice Changes • Immediate RPIW roll out • For optional events or changes occurring within 90 days, such as: • Unit needs (peer interviews, preceptors, etc) • Nursing Grand Rounds • CE Offerings • Upcoming RPIW • Schedule information Optional events such as unit specific needs, upcoming RPIW) * Must be posted with set expiration date Now The person sending the email to the compiler decides if just on weekly bulletin is okay or if needs a flyer on comm board as well Face to Face and put in “Mandatory Now” section of communication board Charge RN if unit specific Nursing Supervisor if house wide SharePoint (if unit specific) or nursing website (if house wide) The Quadrant Tool Email all staff RNs (w/ message flagged as “Mandatory Now”) Compiler and Flyer (optional) in “Optional” section of Communication Board Originator Weekly Email w/ Hyperlinks (optional) Compiler or Mandatory information that nurses need within the next 90 days such as new GOC and policy postings • For mandatory events or changes occurring within 90 days, such as: • Changes to P&P’s, new GOC’s • upcoming JCAHO/DOH • Facility changes • Operations metrics (BSI, FES etc) • Required education • Meeting minutes • Incident reports • Staff meetings • For optional events or changes such as: • Personal/social announcements • Staff recognition • Rewards & Recognition announcements • Child Life/Palliative • Council updates • Announcements of new personnel This is for optional events, social events, recognition, child life, council update Person sending the email decides that it just needs to go on sharepoint or wants flyer and sharepoint. That person attached flyer to email and sends to the compiler *Posted for 30 days then cleared and archived as appropriate * Posted for 90 days then cleared and archived as appropriate Later Compiler holds email and then cuts and pastes into weekly nursing update with a link to the information Goes to sharepoint and flyer on comm board if sender requests Flyer (optional) in “Optional” section of Communication Board Originator SharePoint Originator or SharePoint or Nursing Website Flyer (optional) in “Mandatory” section of Communication Board Originator Deadline for weekly email: Tues. @ Noon! Weekly Email w/ hyperlinks Compiler Flagged as mandatory

7. Comm Board Standards: the tape color and the categories are standardized across nursing units/areas. All “flyers” will have the date of posting and date of removal on them or the flyer will be removed from the board.

8. Weekly Nursing Bulletin Email Template Red is high priority read now Blue is read later

9. Template for urgent nursing email URGENT Nursing Update Date: July 9, 2007 From: Manager/Director/Susan Heath To: Surgical Unit Staff Example: JOINT COMMISSION IS ON SITE TODAY!  (click on the title for more information) Please be aware that JCAHO arrived this morning for our site review.  It is time to SHINE.  Susan Heath Children's Hospital & Regional Medical Center Administration Seattle, WA 98101

10. SharePoint • To view a unit’s SharePoint site: • Go to CHILD (or internal Web Pages) • Click on the Departments tab • Then “N” – and finally on “Nursing” • On the front page of the site you will find links to all the Nursing SharePoint's