New Knowledge, Innovation & Improvements
- Jordan Belisle, RN
- Ebony Boles, RN
- Christiane MacLeod, RN
A New Use for Baby Monitors
One of the challenges nurses face in caring for COVID-19 patients is the inability to quickly visualize patients when not in the room. Because isolation protocols require that doors to patient rooms be closed, nurses must go through the process of donning appropriate PPE to see how their patients are doing.
A nurse on 3B discovered that another hospital was using video baby monitors in the rooms of COVID-19 patients, and they seemed to be working well. She proposed that El Camino Health explore using similar monitors.
Using shared governance principles, a group of clinical nurses from Telemetry, Telemetry/Stroke and Surgical/Pediatrics joined nurse leaders in investigating one model of baby monitor. The nurses selected a model, purchased five per unit to trial, and developed a process and standard work for use of the monitors with COVID-19 patients.
The trial was a great success. With a camera in the room and the monitor outside the room, nurses could easily see their patients and even talk with them through the monitors.
- Jordan Belisle, RN
- Areena Chaudhry, RN
- Molly Cyr, RN
- Marcella Dario, RN
- Katy Garvey, RN
- Jamie Go, RN
- Christiane MacLeod, RN
- Andria Mills, RN
- Alicia Potolsky, RN
- Roxy Phung, RN
- Briana Squiers, RN
- Mary vonDohlen, RN
- Zay Lin, RN
Nursing Research
Nursing research is a foundational element of Magnet designation. Hospitals must submit a table of all nursing research studies as part of their application document, and provide examples of a culture of inquiry and structural support for nursing research. We submitted an impressive list of research as part of our fourth designation, and our nurses continue to show their commitment to advancing nursing practice and improving patient care.
El Camino Health nurses completed three research projects in 2020:
- Living a Low Salt Life: Heart Failure Education
Primary Investigators: Ruby Garma, RN, and Evelyn Taverna, RN - The Electronic Health Record's Impact on Labor & Delivery Nurses' Cognitive Work
Primary Investigator: Valerie Huwe, RN - How Does Nursing Care During Labor Influence Outcomes?
Primary Investigator: Valerie Huwe, RN
Nursing research studies that began in 2020 include:
- Effect of a Structured Activity Room Session in the Inpatient Setting: A Retrospective Chart Review
Primary Investigator: Heather Roorda, RN - Pain Management at End of Life: Enhancing Nurses' Self-Efficacy
Primary Investigator: Rose Conde, RN - Video Conference as a Teaching Tool for Diabetes Education
Primary Investigator: Cindy DeGuzman, RN
- Ruby Garma, RN
- Evelyn Taverna, RN
- Heather Roorda, RN
- Rose Conde, RN
- Cindy DeGuzman, RN
- Beya Sioson, RN
- Valerie Huwe, RN