LAKEWOOD, Ohio, June 16 /PRNewswire/ -- How Lakewood Hospital's Neuro Integrated Care Unit (NICU) improved patient satisfaction, treatments, and outcomes is the focus of "NICU: The 'I' Stands for Integrated," published in the June edition of the Journal of Neuroscience Nursing.
Lakewood Hospital, which is part of the Cleveland Clinic Health System, is believed to be one of the few, if not the only, community hospital in the nation to operate a neuro integrated care unit for patients who suffer from stroke, cerebral aneurysm, brain injury, epilepsy and other neurological disorders.
Bernadette Revta, a clinical nurse specialist in the nursing education department at Lakewood Hospital and a resident of North Ridgeville, Ohio, authored the article that details key outcomes of patients treated at Lakewood Hospital's NICU. Fifty patients or their families were randomly selected to complete a hospital survey last year.*
- All patients (100 percent) rated their stay in the NICU as very good - All survey respondents (100 percent) said they would recommend the NICU to others with neurological problems - 93 percent of NICU patients said the nursing staff was very good at reducing or eliminating pain
Because patients being treated for neurological disorders are at higher risk for developing blood clots in their legs (deep vein thrombosis), and getting urinary tract infections, Lakewood Hospital also measured patient outcomes for these two health complications. Deep vein thrombosis rates for NICU patients ranged between zero percent and 1.8 percent, and urinary tract infection ranged between zero percent and 0.02 percent. In comparing these measures to those at other hospitals within the Cleveland Clinic Health System, these outcome measures at Lakewood Hospital were among the best, according to Revta's article.
Established in 2000, the care provided in the NICU at Lakewood Hospital is different from conventional treatment at other hospitals because it integrates all of the levels of care for neurological patients regardless of their condition.
"When the NICU treats critical care patients, we also continue to treat them as they improve in the same room and with the same nurses up to the time when the patients are ready to go home or go to rehabilitation," explains Revta. "This type of integrated care provides patients with optimal consistency and uniformity of medical treatment and recovery. This integrated philosophy is very important, we believe, to maintain quality medical care and patient satisfaction."
At other hospitals, patients are typically treated in an intensive care unit and then are transferred to a step-down unit while recovering. When patients are moved from one unit to another, there can be an adjustment period experienced by the patient and their family members, which may lead to less than total patient satisfaction. In the NICU model of nursing, this does not occur because the patients remain in the same location with the same medical team providing all medical care.
"We've also found that nurse staffing satisfaction is maintained by seeing the progress of patients through the continuum of care," Revta says. "The nurses get to know the patients and their families. Nurses also can help patients and their families through the frustrations and stress of hospitalization rather than losing track of them when they are transferred to other units."
Founded in 1907, Lakewood Hospital is a 400-bed acute care, community- oriented hospital located in the heart of Cleveland's West Shore community. Lakewood Hospital offers a wide range of health service and education program for women, men and children. Each year, Lakewood Hospital provides high- quality and innovative patient care for more than 130,000 patients. In 1997, Lakewood became part of the Cleveland Clinic Health System, a partnership between the Cleveland Clinic Foundation and nine community hospitals. For more information, please visit our Web site at http://www.lakewoodhospital.org/ .
*Editor's Note: Even though the random survey is not statistically valid, it provides hospital officials with a reliable gauge to monitor patient satisfaction, medical care and outcomes.
Lakewood HospitalCONTACT: Debbie Gaebelein of Lakewood Hospital, +1-216-529-7419
Web site: http://www.lakewoodhospital.org/
