Ideas for best practices

Since I do not work on your unit, I wouldn't know what challenges your unit is experiencing. Take a look at your unit, do an assessment of things you see that go smoothly and things that seem to be a little bumpy. Find a practice that you wish would change or wish would be easier to manage.

This is something only you and your other orientees can do. You have the fresh set of eyes.

ASk you co-workers what they wish would change in your unit.

Take some time to get to know your unit, you will soon see what things work well and what things need improved

Prevention of pressure ulcers using a turn clock ( door- window-supine) poster above the bed.

This can be modified for the IMC.

Implementing a CAUTI or CLABSI bundle.

Implementing a CAUTI or CLABSI bundle.

This is also great. Take a look at the current care model, especially the CAUTI or CLABSI, see what your current data is. All units SHOULD have a report of their current data. If not, this would be a great start. Get a surveillance baseline data.

Before starting any project make sure you have baseline data and that it is reliable data, not just something someone has stated.

You will need your own baseline data to track the outcomes of your implemented project.

GOOD LUCK!!!

Find out what are the five meaningful use goals for your hospital and choose the one that applies most to your unit.

Lots of hospitals are into Lean as an improvement model and use the 5 s concept. Here are five 5S phases stolen from Wikipedia. They can be translated from the Japanese as "sort", "straighten", "shine", "standardise", and "sustain". Other translations are possible.

Long story short.....have you ever met someone who not only has their tools on pegboards, but there is the painted outline for the tool and you can immediately visualize what is missing?

Well nurses have applied this to all sorts of hospital applications from organizing code carts to designing patient rooms. Usually it is pretty easy to think of a process or area on your unit that is frequently missing items you need to do your work.

A poster presentation on capnography waveforms

can't go wrong adequate staffing.

Sepsis bundles - the Surviving Sepsis campaign. I'm trying to bring this onto our unit - we're the last stop before CCU, so we get a lot of septic and beginning SIRS/MODS pts.