Main Line Health

Eileen Jaskuta, the Vice President of Quality Patient Safety, boasts a diverse career path that began in critical care nursing and subsequently led her through various management roles, including directorship, education, and recruitment. Her experience encompasses both clinical and administrative aspects, including infection prevention, medical staff office analytics, and case management on the paramedical side.

Anne Marie Browne, the System Director for Patient Safety Risk Management, brings over 20 years of dedicated experience to her role. Her background includes nursing, particularly in pediatrics, and she has since focused her career on patient safety. Together, they offer a comprehensive view of Main Line Health's commitment to technological advancements that enhance patient safety and their roles in ensuring top-notch quality care.

In a recent interview with MedTech Outlook, Jaskuta and Browne shared insights into their roles and responsibilities at Main Line Health, shedding light on the organization's innovative approach to technology and patient safety.

What are the current emerging trends and challenges in the field of fall prevention solutions?

Anne Marie Browne: In the realm of fall prevention solutions, we have established a robust process for overseeing falls at Main Line Health. This involves maintaining a committee that holds regular meetings to facilitate the re-evaluation of patient-care methodologies and the analysis of potential risks associated with different devices when admitting patients. While not universally necessary, we have found it beneficial to extend this approach into the Emergency Department (ED) to utilize specific tools for managing high-risk patients. This approach provides reassurance to patients and ensures that fall prevention and injury mitigation strategies are in place.

"Healthcare institutions need to analyze patient falls to understand their causes and identify ways to prevent them in the future, ultimately aiming to improve patient safety."

One significant challenge we encounter relates to patients with conditions such as dementia or memory issues. These patients may not consistently follow instructions to activate alarms when attempting to leave their beds, putting them at increased risk of falling and injury due to instability.

To address this challenge, Main Line Health has introduced a novel technology called the Virtual Buddy. This system uses cameras placed in patient rooms to closely monitor patients. What sets our solution apart is its ability to utilize speakers to communicate with patients if they attempt to get out of bed without following proper procedures. We assign staff to monitor these cameras, allowing our nurses to redirect patients before any incidents occur. This approach has proven to be effective over the years.

Eileen Jaskuta:  While our fall prevention tools are not developed in-house, we have protocols that vary based on the severity of a patient's condition. One of the challenges we face is when patients become high-risk, extending beyond the capabilities of the Virtual Buddy. This is especially relevant when dealing with a patient population that may be on multiple medications, have a history of falls, or be admitted due to a fall-related incident. In such cases, impulsive patients may require one-to-one care to ensure their safety, which is a limitation of the Virtual Buddy system.

Can you provide insights into some of your recent projects or initiatives and elaborate on the strategies employed to achieve their success?

Anne Marie Browne: Certainly, we have implemented a mechanism that can alert us when a bed alarm is turned off, potentially indicating a safety risk. For example, a staff member at the nurse's station can review the patient list and notice that "Eileen in bed one" is identified as a high fall risk, but her bed alarm is off. This immediate notification allows us to address the situation promptly, which can be particularly important during night shifts when staff availability may be limited.

The virtual nurse plays a crucial role in this process. It regularly checks the status of alarms in every unit and communicates with the nurse on duty to determine if any alarms have been intentionally turned off or if there are issues that need attention.

Eileen Jaskuta: While our team doesn't directly manage patient safety projects, we have a Falls Committee responsible for initiatives related to fall prevention and safety. Our role is to ensure representation on these committees and engage teams focused on patient safety and incident prevention, including falls. Whenever falls occur, we conduct thorough analyses to gain insights and identify potential improvements. While these analyses have been valuable in the past, they haven't always led to groundbreaking changes.

Recently, we've adopted a more tech-oriented approach. We're using available technology to monitor high-risk patients more closely. This helps us detect issues such as caregivers forgetting to reset alarms after moving a patient – often due to human error rather than negligence. Our aim is to leverage technology for enhanced surveillance and prevention.

What do you foresee for the future of your industry, particularly with respect to advancements in innovation and technology?

Eileen Jaskuta: The research arm at Main Line generates prototypes for staff-generated ideas, although it remains uncertain if any of these options will be available in the next 12-18 months. Nevertheless, this encourages our staff to think creatively about potential solutions. At present, I don't anticipate any imminent changes or additions to our current setup, as it seems comprehensive, and there are no imminent developments on the horizon.

Anne Marie Browne: I attend that committee periodically, and we always keep an eye on what's new in the market. Regarding new devices and helpful innovations, one challenge is the diversity of equipment in various healthcare settings. For example, the on/off switch for a chair's alarm can be tiny and difficult to operate, and device types can vary. Ensuring transparency and ease of use for such equipment, regardless of the location, is important. Additionally, I believe that with recent technological advancements, as Eileen mentioned, surveillance has become an essential aspect of our industry, proving helpful in prevention efforts.

Eileen Jaskuta: We've recently engaged a human factors engineer in some of our projects to identify potential improvements in how people perform their jobs. This entails exploring opportunities to make it easier for individuals to do the right thing. However, I don't foresee significant new opportunities emerging in the next 12-18 months; that's the current landscape.

As experienced professionals in your field, what guidance would you offer to budding individuals who are just starting their careers?

Anne Marie Browne: I believe that sharing and reporting events from the frontline is crucial for our team's work. Staff needs to speak up about frustrations and opportunities for improvement instead of only reporting when something inappropriate happens. By doing so, we can address concerns proactively.

Eileen Jaskuta: Absolutely, I echo Anne Marie's sentiment. It's essential for budding professionals to understand the work at the bedside to make it easier for people to do their jobs effectively. Human factors engineers are here to think differently about work processes and workflow. We should continuously revisit what we've put in place to see if it's working and be willing to make changes when necessary. For instance, we introduced the virtual buddy and virtual nurse to make it easier for staff to be at the bedside whenever required.