The Northwest Hospital Alliance recently hosted the Northwest Antimicrobial Stewardship Summit. The Summit was meant to be a launch to form a regional, if not statewide, effort toward developing Antimicrobial Stewardship Plans for facilities, but more than that, to work as a unified community to change the way antibiotics are thought of and prescribed – a cultural shift.

The purpose of this one-day event was to provide participants with the tools they need to plan and develop an Antimicrobial Stewardship Program within their own facility, as well as to establish a collaborative work group to implement a regional Antimicrobial Stewardship Program and Initiative. Visit the Summit’s Webpage for event handouts as well as other Antimicrobial Stewardship resources.

Nursing Grand Rounds (NGR) provide a forum for nurses between our partner hospitals to share clinical expertise, nursing best practices and education on related topics to improve patient outcomes and enhance patient experiences, as well as building collaboration and respect across the continuum of care. An NGR is a presentation given by nurses who share nursing care and are focused on a particular case.

In a partnership with the North Idaho College School of Nursing, the Nurse Leaders Peer Group of the Northwest Hospital Alliance developed this successful strategy to improve communication, build relationships, gain knowledge, and improve patient care by hosting quarterly Nursing Grand Rounds.

Kathleen Barbera presents the featured patient flow of care while in the ICU at Kootenai Health.
The format includes the case study of a patient who presented at one of the partner critical access hospitals and was then transported to Kootenai Health for specialty care that was needed.

The first Grand Rounds, held last December, featured a patient with a traumatic brain injury. The most recent Grand Rounds held on March 22, featured a patient with a ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI). Each NGR had more than 50 participants with videoconferencing used to bring partner hospital teams together.

Presenting a case study of a particular patient enables nurses to systematically examine a specific patient’s episode of care, review the pathophysiology, evaluate the nursing care provided and relate “doing of nursing care” to evidence and science.

“While the intention was to use this as a nursing education opportunity, we have found that inclusion of the EMT’s, air or ground transport teams, and others associated with the care of the patient may lead to a bigger learning opportunity, especially as it ties to Idaho working toward it’s Time Sensitive Emergency (TSE) structure.” According to Chris Way, Chief of Kootenai County EMS and Region 1 chair of the TSE Initiative, “If we all work together and learn from each case, we may be able cut precious time from the continuum of care for the patient.”

Regularly scheduled educational opportunities are associated with increased professionalism and improved outcomes for patients.

“Given the success of our current NGR’s, we plan to continue the conference style education opportunity on a quarterly basis,” said Tari Yourzek, Boundary Community Hospital Chief Nursing Officer. “They will occur in March, June, September and December. Participation of bedside nurses is encouraged in an effort to mentor and support professional development.”

The Northwest Hospital Alliance presented the North Idaho College nursing program with a $100,000 grant to help support nursing education in our region.

Pictured (from left): (front) Nancy Murren, NIC; Dr. Lita Burns, NIC; Marian Underdahl, NIC; Joan Simon, Kootenai Health; Tari Yourzek, Boundary Community Hospital (back) Eilene Pickett, NIC; Brittany Heidenreich, NIC; Kim Mitchell, NIC; Shannon Badgett, NIC; Misty Robertson, Bonner General Health; Beth Bates, Shoshone Medical Center; and Claudia Miewald, Kootenai Health

“North Idaho College is grateful for the longstanding partnership with the Northwest Hospital Alliance. The relationship truly is symbiotic,” said NIC Vice President for Instruction, Dr. Lita A. Burns (previously dean of Health Professions and Nursing). “North Idaho College Nursing Programs achieve outstanding student success because of the excellent clinical education the students receive at Kootenai Health and the other Alliance partner hospitals. The nurses are willing to teach and mentor students knowing that one day the students will be their peers.”The Hospital Alliance has a history of supporting the program, gifting $1.2 million over the past decade.

“The Northwest Hospital Alliance is delighted to be able to extend this grant funding to the nursing program at North Idaho College,” Joan Simon, Kootenai Health Chief Nursing Officer, said. “We see as part of our mission that we have a responsibility to ensure a knowledgeable, skilled and stable nursing workforce. These dollars will serve to strengthen the collaboration between the hospital and our academic partner, NIC; allowing us to work together on initiatives that strengthen and advance are professional nursing workforce in our region.”

The funds will not only help to educate future area nurses, but will also help those currently in the field maintain competencies and further develop their skill sets.

“The Northwest Hospital Alliance has enjoyed a long-standing relationship with North Idaho College, specifically when it comes to nursing education,” Tari Yourzek, Chief Nursing Officer at Boundary Community Hospital, said. “Funds given will assist in keeping the quality of nursing education at the level our region has grown to expect. In addition, the collaborative efforts of the college and the nursing leadership in our region have fostered a great relationship between our local hospitals and NIC. The future of nursing depends on these relationships in order to provide our community with the highest quality patient care and outcomes.”