UNews - Chinook Regional Hospital

Mobile app helping nursing students with clinical decision-making

trevor.kenney — Wed, 30 Oct 2013 20:42:39 +0000

A research project underway at Chinook Regional Hospital aims to determine if having medical information at the fingertips of student nurses improves their clinical decision-making at patient bedside.

During the 15-month study, which started last May, about 30 fourth-year nursing students from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge will have an application installed on their mobile phones that contains a wealth of medical and nursing information.

Nursing student Tony Slezina says the app has been invaluable in his work with patients.

Researchers are comparing the clinical decision-making of these student nurses with other student nurses who do not have the app. Students without the app would typically leave the bedside and locate information in a medical textbook or, in the case of a medication issue, consult with the hospital pharmacist. All student nurses are under the supervision of registered nurses at the Alberta Health Services (AHS) hospital.

“The ability to make sound clinical decisions is vital to ensure patients receive safe, high-quality health care,” says study lead Dr. Monique Sedgwick, assistant professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

“Health care is an information intensive environment. With this study, we’re trying to determine if clinical decision-making improves with immediate access to current, evidence-based information about patient diagnosis, treatment and nursing care.”

Dr. Sedgwick says nurses make clinical decisions every day that affect patient care. Common decisions include whether to change a bedridden patient’s position to prevent bedsores, whether to alert a physician if a patient’s condition is deteriorating, whether to change a patient’s medication, or determining what supports patients will need after leaving the hospital.

A patient who complains about pain post-surgery requires a nurse to make several clinical decisions at bedside, she adds.

“Nurses must assess the kind of pain the patient is experiencing,” says Dr. Sedgwick. “The nurse must take into consideration when the patient last had medications for the pain, whether the medication worked, whether there were side effects and whether the type of pain is typical following that particular type of surgery.

“Using information gathered from textbooks or the mobile app, nurses decide if the medication will be given, if another type of medication is more appropriate, how the medication will be given, how much medication will be given, or if medication is the most effective way to relieve the pain.”

The application used in this study was developed by the U.S.-based medical software firm Pepid, and contains as much information as would be found in multiple textbooks.

Nursing student Tony Slezina says the application has been a huge help during his work placement in the intensive care unit, allowing him to answer questions for patients and their families right at bedside.

“We can look things up on the app and say, ‘OK, yeah, we’re on the right course here,’ ” he says.

Adds Dr. Sedgwick: “Preliminary findings suggest the app helps students in their reasoning and clinical decision-making. That said, no conclusions can be drawn until the study concludes in July 2014.”

Chinook Regional Hospital is a teaching hospital where, each year, more than 600 nurses are trained along with numerous sub-specialties, internships and other clinical placements.

Site manager Ryan Thomson says he’s pleased the facility is contributing to this study.

“I can’t say enough about the partnership we have with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and the unique opportunity to move research projects like this forward here in our own backyard,” says Thomson. “I am passionate about applied research that helps us grow and learn.”

The $10,000 study is funded by the Western North Western Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Teaching Fund.

Alberta Health Services is the provincial health authority responsible for planning and delivering health supports and services for more than 3.9 million adults and children living in Alberta. Its mission is to provide a patient-focused, quality health system that is accessible and sustainable for all Albertans.

Zieber earns Lipinski scholarship

trevor.kenney — Thu, 09 May 2013 20:08:47 +0000

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Faculty of Health Sciences researcher Em Pijl Zieber is one of two local registered nurses who have been named the inaugural recipients of the Wendy Lipinski Memorial Scholarship for Advanced Education.

Pijl Zieber was honoured along with Klaas Vanden Beld on May 8 at Chinook Regional Hospital. The scholarship serves as a memorial to the contributions of Wendy (MacFarlane) Lipinski, a registered nurse who practised for 18 years in Lethbridge and area. She died of cancer last December at age 59. It was established this year by the Alberta Registered Nurses Educational Trust (ARNET), with funding from Executive Links/Nursing Links, a Calgary provider of nursing education.

Executive Links owner Terese Fleming wanted to honour the nursing contributions of Lipinski, a lifelong friend, who had also returned to school as an adult student to take classes in fine arts at the U of L prior to her passing.

"I am a nurse myself and, if I was ever in a position where I would need to receive health care, Wendy was the type of nurse I would want caring for me," says Fleming. "She was such a kind and caring nurse, so gentle and patient."

Pijl Zieber and Vanden Beld receive scholarships worth a total of $5,000. They were chosen by an ARNET allocation committee on the basis of academic merit in their graduate-level studies.

Pijl Zieber, 44, teaches community health nursing theory and clinical courses in the Faculty of Health Sciences. She is enrolled in doctoral studies at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta and has a special interest in nursing in marginalized populations. Prior to joining the U of L, she worked as an RN in remote communities, Vancouver's Downtown East Side and at Lethbridge College.

"It is fitting that such an outstanding educator as Em Pijl Zeiber receive the Wendy Lipinski Memorial Scholarship for Advanced Education," says Faculty of Health Sciences Dean, Dr. Chris Hosgood. "We are dedicated to providing educators with opportunities for professional development and nursing students with an outstanding education, and wholeheartedly support Em's commitment to mobilize students to make a difference in their communities."

"It's an honour to receive this scholarship," says Pijl Zieber. "It will help me continue with my research, which is focused on how well nursing students are prepared for registered nursing practice. The nursing profession can make even greater contributions to the health of Canadians by enhancing community health clinical education and by mobilizing students to make a difference in their communities. That could have a positive impact on the health of everyone."

Pomahac made indelible impression

trevor.kenney — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 17:35:23 +0000

On Monday, October 1, 2012, Dr. Anthony "Tony" Pomahac passed away at the Chinook Regional Hospital.

A memorial was held at Martin Bros Funeral home on Oct. 9 with his wife Hazel and family and friends in attendance.

Pomahac was the father of Andrea Glover in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Library and also had another close connection to the U of L, as he was one of the founding physicians at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Health Centre.

"I have very fond memories of Dr. Pomahac," says Lori Weber, manager of the Health Centre. "He loved being a physician and worked here from 1969 until his retirement a few years ago. Like many of the physicians at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Health Centre who take time from their other clinics to see students and assist with their medical concerns, Dr. Pomahac believed in the education and medical care of young adults as they become our future workforce."

Pomahac was part of the growth of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Health Centre from a small facility that saw just a few clients a day to its current state, where thousands of students can be seen in a month for not only physician clinics, but also psychiatric care, massage therapy, chiropractor, health education, first aid and communicable disease issues.

Chris Moroz, clinic administrator, says that Pomahac left a lasting impression on the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community.

"Anyone who ever met Dr. Pomahac never forgot him, he was a larger than life character."

Indeed, those who knew Pomahac will miss his big booming voice, his sense of humour and his skilled medical care to several generations of ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ students. For a full obituary and to send condolences, please contact Martin Bros Funeral Chapel.

Goyal recognized with Cade Award

trevor.kenney — Mon, 07 May 2012 21:30:38 +0000

A student with high aspirations has received an award to match.

Dipankar (Dee) Goyal, a second-year neuroscience student recently received the Bill and Elsa Cade Student of the Year Award.

Goyal moved to Lethbridge from Victoria for his university studies and has been truly amazed by the opportunities provided at the U of L.

"For an undergraduate student, getting the opportunity to work under a professor in first year is simply magnificent. It has been a great experience having done research under Dr. HJ Wieden, Dr. Robert Laird and Dr. Olga Kovalchuk," says Goyal.

Second-year neuroscience student Dipankar Goyal, a member of the U of L's iGEM team, has been named the recipient of the Bill and Elsa Cade Student of the Year Award.

He has set his sights on medical school, and is working his way toward that goal by engaging in a combination of academic and community service activities that he hopes will take him far.

"I look forward to attending medical school with a long-term goal of joining an organization like Doctors Without Borders," he says. "It is far more than a dream for me to one day become a part of an experience like that – it is my passion, dedication and ambition."

Goyal recently organized the Relay for Life Star with the Canadian Cancer Society. He also volunteers under Dr. Surendar Kilam and Dr. Ryan McColl at the Chinook Regional Hospital, and is a crucial part of the award-winning International Genetically Engineered Machines (iGEM) team here on campus. The iGEM team ranked as one of the top four teams at the Americas Competition and as the top Canadian team internationally, all based on its efforts to build a bacterium that could consume oil sands tailings pond residue.

This story first appeared in the May issue of the Legend. For a look at the full issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Health Sciences producing ready grads

trevor.kenney — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 21:17:15 +0000

The best testimony as to whether a program works or not is to see the end result. Christine Knaus, soon to be a graduate of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's Faculty of Health Sciences Public Health program, is that end result – and yes, the program does work.

Knaus, who is set to convocate this spring, is already employed as an infection control practitioner with Alberta Health Services (AHS), having turned her practicum placement into a full-time job. The only downside is that she now has to finish her Registered Nurse designation online.

"I would have loved to finish my nursing training at the U of L too but because they did such a good job training me, I got a job right out of school and couldn't come back," laughs Knaus, the AHS infection control site lead for the southwestern portion of the province.

Infection control practitioner Christine Knaus assists Faculty of Health Sciences Dean Dr. Chris Hosgood in demonstrating proper gowning techniques.

Knaus started her post-secondary career at Lethbridge College, taking two years of nursing. Her interests however were in the public health portion of the program. When the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ debuted its public health degree, she jumped at the opportunity to pursue her passion.

"When this program opened, it was the right time to move into it," says Knaus, a native of Lanigan, Saskatchewan. "I enjoyed nursing but public health allowed me to help those people who are not yet in hospital to be healthy and prevent them from future visits to the hospital."

She and her classmates reveled in the opportunities afforded them with a brand new program, including the chance to shape how it would be delivered.

"Because there were so few of us we really got to give a lot of input into curriculum, what was working and what wasn't working," she says. "We were often referred to as the guinea pigs of the program. It was a trial but we got an amazing education because they did a great job of finding classes for us and even making classes that would help us as practitioners in the public health field."

Knaus credits the faculty for engaging its students in discussions about classes, the hiring of professors and the program's delivery. In fact, as the first group neared completion of the program, they lobbied for change to one of its most difficult, and what they deemed impractical, courses. It was subsequently changed to better serve future students.

"That's one of the aspects I give the Faculty of Health Sciences so much credit for," says Knaus. "When you give them feedback, they take it seriously and you always feel as though you're a part of the decision-making."

Knaus excels in such an environment. She grew up admiring her grandmother's efforts in changing the world through volunteerism in a family that championed the ideal of being an active part of your community and given the chance, grasped the opportunity to take control of her education. In 2010, she was the only undergraduate student who had an abstract accepted to the Canadian Society for Epidemiology and Biostatistics Student Conference, and she developed a stroke resource guide for patients and caregivers that is now being implemented in facilities in both Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Her practicum placement allowed her the chance to work under Dr. Vivien Suttorp, the medical officer of health at Alberta Health Services.

"I learned so much in that role," says Knaus. "I was thrown right into the position, and got to go with environmental public health to see things such as hoarding houses, water leaks at various facilities, review environmental services cleaning at Chinook Regional Hospital, it really took me everywhere. And it was essentially my practicum that got me my current job with AHS."

As an infection control practitioner, Knaus says she is a resource for hospitals.

"Any time there is an outbreak in a hospital or an Alberta Health Services facility, we assist with that. Infection control is dedicated to the prevention of healthcare-associated infections. Practitioners use surveillance to improve patient outcomes. We focus on reducing the transmission of microbes through patient care practices, sterilization, disinfection cleaning, outbreak management and environmental design, and the most important being hand hygiene."

Knaus accepts her role as a pioneer of the program, and wants to continue to shape its future. She comes back to campus to speak to current students and eyes returning as a master's student and possible lecturer.

"I would like to end up teaching here at some point, maybe an evening class or two," she says. "My professors played such a big role impacting my life and inspiring me, I'd really like to give that back to the next generation of students."

GET THE FACTS

· In 2011, Knaus was nominated for the City of Lethbridge Leaders of Tomorrow Award

· She has two younger brothers (one who attends ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Saskatchewan and another in high school) as well as a younger sister

· Knaus does not want to single out any specific professors because, "They were all so good to me, and although they taught us a lot to do with school, they also taught us so much in terms of life lessons."

· Knaus was co-president of the Public Health Students Association and was co-Chair for the Health Sciences Haiti Benefit earthquake fundraiser that raised over $5,000

· She coaches pee wee and bantam level female hockey, and is currently working on developing a summer hockey school program designed to give access to those who could not otherwise afford to participate

This story first appeared in the February 2012 edition of The Legend. To view the full issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Researchers Advocate for Positive Approach to Rural, Community Health

trevor.kenney — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 16:08:20 +0000

A noted expert in rural nursing and community health issues will deliver a province wide teleconference and in-person seminar about rural and community health issues on Monday, July 25.

Alberta Health Services, Community & Rural Department and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, Faculty of Health Sciences are jointly presenting a talk by Dr. Jeri L. Bigbee, who is currently serving as the Faculty of Health Sciences first visiting Fulbright Scholar at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

Bigbee is a leader in rural nursing whose research focuses on public health nursing in rural and frontier communities in the United States. Bigbee's talk takes place on Monday, July 25, beginning at 10 a.m. in County Hall at Chinook Regional Hospital. It will also be broadcast to healthcare workers province-wide via the Telehealth network.

"We are extremely lucky to have Dr. Bigbee here in Alberta. Her expertise in rural health is a wonderful resource for Alberta Health Services and our partner organizations," said Rosalie Case, AHS Executive Director, Rural & Suburban Hospital Services & Supports.

"Her knowledge and research will help us better understand the unique needs in rural health and how to plan services according to those needs."

Case added that Dr. Bigbee's in depth understanding and emphasis on population health needs is in-line with the current direction of rural health planning in Alberta.

A Nurse Practitioner and Jody DeMeyer Endowed Chair at Boise State ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in Boise, Idaho, Bigbee earned her doctorate from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Texas in Austin and has been a nurse educator since 1980 in Wyoming, Nevada and California.

"One of the goals for Dr. Bigbee's visit is to forge collaborative research relationships with individuals here who are involved in rural nursing," said Dr. Judith Kulig, a U of L Health Sciences rural nursing expert.

"Jointly-conducted research would provide an opportunity to determine the differences and similarities between our countries in terms of the number of rural nurses providing care and the impacts they have on population health."

Kulig said that while Bigbee is in the community, she will meet with faculty and graduate students to share her expertise in rural nursing and in nursing education in general. "We are really hopeful that Jeri's visit will lead to future collaborations including visits by our faculty to Boise State ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ."

Event details:

Date: Monday, July 25, 2011
Time: 10:00 - 11:30 a.m.
Location: Chinook Regional Hospital County Hall (Telehealth available)
RSVP: Romina Senneker (403-388-6013 or romina.senneker@albertahealthservices.ca)

Combat sleep apnea by attending Lunch and Learn

trevor.kenney — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:09:49 +0000

Do you find you are often tired, even after a full night's sleep?

Obstructive sleep apnea is a serious breathing problem that interrupts your sleep. This results in poor sleep quality that makes you tired during the day. Sleep apnea is one of the leading causes of excessive daytime sleepiness. Another symptom can be snoring and pauses in your breathing while sleeping.

This month's Wellness Lunch and Learn is focusing on sleep apnea. Shaun Wojtowicz, owner of Chinook Respiratory Care, will be on campus Nov. 17 in TH277 to discuss symptoms, signs and treatment for sleep apnea. Make sure you come and check out this informative topic over the lunch hour.

Obstructive sleep apnea means you have short pauses in your breathing when you sleep. These breathing pauses – called apneas or apnea events – last for 10 to 30 seconds, maybe longer. People with obstructive sleep apnea can stop breathing dozens or hundreds of times each night.

If it's not treated, sleep apnea can lead to major health problems, accidents, and even early death. Thankfully, there are excellent treatments for obstructive sleep apnea.

Signs and symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea:
• high blood pressure
• irritability, mood swings or depression
• gasping or choking during sleep
• tiredness or fatigue
• lack of concentration
• morning headaches
• memory problems/memory loss
• sexual dysfunction

The Women's Health Challenge (sponsored by Alberta Health Services Breast and Cervical Health program, Chinook Regional Hospital and Meyers Norris Penny) wrapped up at the end of October. A total of 30 women entered the challenge and have a chance to win a $100 gift certificate to the Keg. Thanks to all who had pap tests and mammograms from May 27 to Oct. 26 and good luck in the prize draw!

The Wellness Committee would like to thank all Life Balance Fair exhibitors, prize donors and especially participants that came out on Oct 21. Thanks also to AUPE, who donated $200 towards lunch. The Wii Sports Resort Game was won by Judy Jaeger, caretaking, and the Digital Camera (donated by Chinook Respiratory Care) was won by Chris Lastuka, Anthropology.

Prize winners and donors:
- Large First Aid Kit - donated by Blue Cross - Gwen Umeris

- Shopper's Gift Basket - Shopper's Drug Mart West - Pat Anderson

- Runner's Soul $50.00 Gift Card - Sharon Kanashiro

- Tickets to Opera Goes to the Movies - U of L Fine Arts - Brittanie Graham

- Tickets to Hay Fever - U of L Fine Arts - MaryAnne Hellinga

- Horns 10-game combo pass - U of L Sport and Rec Services - Aubrey Salloway and Chris Lastuka

- One-month facility membership - U of L Sport and Rec Services - Dirk Olsen

- Money Mentors one-hour session - Amanda Berg

- Mini first aid kits - Blue Cross - won by Kim Ordway, Barb Dudley, Judy Jaeger

- Aluminum water bottles - Blue Cross - Connie Chaplin, Betsy Greenlees

- Pedometers - Blue Cross - Doug Smith, Anita Salberg

- Fleece blanket in a bag - donated by Mercer - Louise Miller

- Water bottles - donated by Mercer - won by Katherine Wasiak, Sandra Wiest, Christine Groves, Charlene Sawatsky, Diane Layng

- Digital camera – donated by Chinook Respiratory Care – won by Chris Lastuka

Suzanne McIntosh, Wellness Co-ordinator

UNews - Chinook Regional Hospital

Mobile app helping nursing students with clinical decision-making

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