Council Connections

At HMSL, we have many councils who are each focusing on various topics to make our hospital a great place for patients as well as employees.

To raise awareness and disseminate information from these councils, there will be a monthly update called Council Connections.

Mentor: Tiffany Bell
Chair: Sade Kelly
Co-Chair: Joy Yuan Fey

Continue current practice to empty Foley bags prior to ambulation/transportation. Keep the Foley bag below the bladder to prevent backflow of urine.
The ICU is piloting a new fecal management system called Dignishield. It will replace the flexi-seal. The product has been found superior to the flexi-seal and should have less odor.
Piloting the “foods to avoid” order modification and calling dietary to inform to stop yogurt delivery on 5 Brazos. Nursing will get an order for oral probiotics to avoid waste of yogurt and patient not having any probiotic coverage.
External Fecal Management Policy approved with recommended revisions. Revisions will be reviewed in the next Policy and Procedure Council Meeting.
May 2018 data for recollects due to mislabeled or unlabeled tubes was presented. Power Point presentation available upon request.
A Patient Transport Stability scale has been created to promote critical thinking and decision making in support of patient safety. Patient safety issues have arisen when a patient was being transported by transportation staff alone who should have been accompanied by a nurse and had an adverse event. A team of several staff members from several hospital departments volunteered to assist with molding the scale to encompass all patient scenarios. Final version of the scale is pending.

Mentor: Jackie Herrera
Chair: Amy Malish
Co-Chair: Cecile Dajose

Hester Davis Fall prevention is well underway. Use of fall mats is instrumental in decreasing injury falls. Falls correlated with patients using the bathroom still continues to be a challenge. Ask your No Harm Council member for additional tips and tools to help prevent patient falls in the bathroom.

Mentor: Ann Maguire
Chair: Rose Joseph
Co-Chair: Honey Ignatius

We continue to perform monthly PUPP audits to identify the prevalence of HAPI’s. (Next one June 14, 2018).
Upcoming PCA education – Date to be announced.
Allevyn gentle border dressings available now in supply chain – to help prevent pressure injuries from happening under respiratory devices. ( Bipap, nasal cannula).
Implementing turning clock to cue patient repositioning for pressure injury prevention.
HMSL has an increased focus on preventive wound care per established protocols.

Mentor: Andrea Dalcour-Cotton
Chair: Cara Bretz

Patients with shingles should be placed on isolation and staff can go to PolicyTech to determine which isolation is appropriate. If it is shingles in an immunocompromised patient, then they should be on airborne and contact. If it is shingles in a non-immunocompromised patient, then it should be contact isolation if the lesions cannot be contained in a dressing. Staff that have not had chickenpox and have had the varicella vaccine with a current titer are allowed to care for shingles patients. Pregnant staff should not care for shingles patients.
Keep a look out on the units for a sign by the coffee machines that instruct patients and visitors to notify staff to make a fresh cup of coffee. Patients and visitors touching and making coffee can be an infection risk.

Mentor: Tricia Lewis
Chair: Fiona Smith
Co-Chair: Irene Smith

Please submit your Shining Star award nominations to Patricia Lewis. This award is for a non-nurse employee who has gone above and beyond. Please email Irene Morrison at IMCook@houstonmethodist.org for a nomination form or visit www.hmslnews.org/star to submit your nomination online.
This award is similar to the DAISY award for nursing to recognize interprofessional partners who provide exemplary care and service.

Mentor: Terri Gonzales

The Workplace Environment Council is partnering with the No Harm Council to pilot a Safe Patient Handling project on Main 6 West and Main 4 West. This project will start mid-June and the goals are to reduce employee injuries related to patient handling, decrease patient injury falls and improve patient mobility.

Mentor: Emilyn Rodriguez
Chair: Shermel Edwards Maddox

PCA Boot Camp is currently underway with a goal to educate PCAs on new hospital initiatives and provide learning opportunities in areas pertaining to patient safety and positive patient outcomes.

Mentor: Betty Gonzales
Chair: Luz Malit

The Research and Evidence-Based Practice Council requests that all quality improvement projects, evidence-based practice projects and research studies be entered into the BRAIN (Building Research & Advancing Innovative Networks) located on the Intranet Home Page under Science & Practice Database. The Council’s goal is to have 100% of all projects entered into the database.

Mentor: Mary Harris
Chair: Karen Cothran
Co-Chair: Julie Pickle

The Magnet champions are continuing their book study of “How to Win Friends and Influence People.”
Please let your unit/department Magnet Champion know if you would like to be a Magnet Champion Meeting Crasher. Chris Siebenaler was one of the May Magnet Champion Meeting Crashers!

Mentor: Tiffany Bell & Daisy Del Rosario
Chair: Philomena Valson
Co-Chair: Robin Smith

Below is a summary of the polices that PPC approved in March, April & May 2018

Updated Policies

NU215 Central Catheter (PICC) Peripherally Inserted: Practice Change: Policy Archived. Please refer to System_PCPS147.5 Vascular Access – Peripherally Inserted Central Catheters (PICC).

Renewed Policies

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ICU 2.01SL Admission Criteria for the MICU & SICU: Added admission guidelines to the following disciplines: The exception for Bi-Pap in the ICU include DNR/DNI and hospice patients. Alcohol Withdrawal patients with Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment (CIWA) score >20 to Neurological criteria. Medically unstable acute psychiatric patients to Psychiatric criteria.
PCPS 053 Management of Hemorrhagic Stroke Patients: Merged the STK 01 tPA policy with STK 02 Management of Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients and renamed as a PCPS 053 Management of the Hemorrhagic Stroke Patient; included presentation at triage, EMS, and inpatient; expanded and clarified the procedure; and updated references and committee approval.
PCPS 054 Management of Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients: Merged the STK 01 tPA policy with STK 02 Management of Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients and renamed as a PCPS 054 Management of the Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients; included presentation at triage, EMS, and inpatient; expanded and clarified the procedure; and updated references and committee approval.

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