Evidence-based practice at Salem Health

Salem Health continually advances standards for clinical practice in accordance with the best available evidence. Using a broad and complimentary range of quality approaches, such as evidence-based practice (EBP), research and Lean continuous improvement as support. This supports the Salem Health team toward developing competency in these areas and solving practice problems.

Established in 2010, the EBP Council supports our clinical staff to achieve exceptional outcomes as well as generate new knowledge to guide practice and positively influence the health outcomes of our community. The EBP council intentionally influences cultural change, exemplified through empowerment and strong staff engagement in a bold spirit of inquiry focused on continued improvement in patient outcomes.

The EBP council is poised to collaborate, as necessary, and support education on EBP and research by:

Developing EBP, research and quality improvement competencies of the interprofessional Salem Health team
Building EBP mentoring capability to support the first goal and
Continuously advancing standards for clinical practice in accordance with best practice

Salem Health sponsors an annual clinical inquiry challenge, a competition between departments, with the goal of encouraging staff to ask clinical questions to continuously update their practice based on best evidence. It is also an opportunity to reinforce how PICO(T) questions are structured. Salem Health continues to find new ways to make literature review and research easier and quicker for clinicians to undertake.

As an organization, Salem Health supports the acquisition of new knowledge at every level.

Some of the venues where we acquire that knowledge include:

Evidence-based practice council
Nursing research
Clinical trials
Unit/department councils (formerly known as specialty practice teams)
Lean management system projects

2020 poster presentations

Clinicians share the results of Lean, quality improvement, EBP and research projects in oral and poster presentations and through publications in peer-reviewed journals.

Sharing presentations of improvement projects provides an avenue to share information and builds the connections to support success in either further developing the project or adopting or adapting results to a different area of operation. Salem Health celebrated Professional Practice Day on September 22, 2020.

Nurses and interprofessional partners presented 19 posters displaying best practices. Five poster authors also presented their projects orally to an audience of peers, leadership, and medical providers.

Click on a project title below to see presentation materials.

Cardiopulmonary Arrest Outcomes in the Time of COVID-19

Author(s) and team members: Ann Alway, MS, RN, CNS, CNRN; Kovid Trivedi, MD; Cody Rosentrater, MPH.

Determining Risk Factors for Clostridium Difficile Infections

Author(s) and team members: Aaron McGinn, RN, Nursing Student at GCU; Brooke Kamm, BSN, RN, PCCN; Ann Alway, MS, RN, CNS, CNRN.

Improving Trauma Charge Capture – A Collaborative Journey

Author(s) and team members: Kathy Tompkins, BS, RN, CCRN-K, NPD-BC, CPAN; Denise Sproed, BSN, RN.

Stayin’ Alive! Improve Code Blue Confidence through Staff-Led Drills in Adult Health

Author(s) and team members: Kristiina Broten, MSN, RN, PCCN; Ellie Butsch, MSN, RN, PCCN; Michelle Riley, MSN, RN, ONC, NE-BC; Mary Secor BSN, RN, ONC; Sierra Triem, BSN, RN, ONC; Kaci Brembry, BSN, RN; Kimberly Boethin, MSN-Ed, RN, ONC.

NEW Salem Health Tool to Screen for Concussion at any Time, by any Professional

Author(s) and team members: Deborah Timmons, LPTA; Laura Aspinwall, MS, PT; Claire Barnes, MS, CCC-SLP; Melissa Berry, PT, MS; Ellie Bonanno, PT, DPT; James Dobkins, OT/L; Trent Dunlop, MPT, ATP/SMS; Michelle Personius, MHA, OTR/L.

Electronic Trauma Narrator Improves Documentation of Glasgow Coma Scale

Author(s) and team members: Kathy Tompkins, BS, RN, CCRN-K, NPD-BC, CPAN.

Diabetes Champions Improve Inpatient Glycemic Management

Author(s) and team members: Sandra Bunn, MSN, CNS-PP, BC-ADM, ACNS-BC.

Group-Based Pain Neuroscience Education Reduces Pain Catastrophizing and Learned Helplessness in Individuals Living with Chronic Pain

Author(s) and team members: Michael Bragiel, PT, DPT, OCS.

Improving Healthcare Professional Happiness

Author(s) and team members: Nancy Dunn, MS, RN; Sara Nash, BSN, RN.

Is Your Patient a Candidate for a Midline IV Catheter?

Author(s) and team members: Wendee Flesher, MSN, RN.

Level of Care Protocol Transforms a Traditional CardioVascular Surgical Pathway

Author(s) and team members: Heather Rideout, MBA, BSN, CCRN-CSC; Amanda Griffith, BSN, RN, CCRN; Roberta Bronson, MSN, RN; Erin McGinnis, BSN, RN, CCRN; Joel Dupuis, BSN, RN, CCRN; Paul Wacek, PA-C; Crystal Dryden, BSN, RN; Ann Alway, MS, RN, CNS, CNRN.

Mobility Pause for a Cause: Fall Prevention

Author(s) and team members: Ellie Butsch, MSN, RN; Allie Purvine, BSN, RN, CMSRN; Jessica Thomas, BSN, RN, CMSRN; Tanika Majors; BSN, RN.

Preventing Nerve Injury During Labor

Author(s) and team members: Kelsie Powell, MSN, RNC-OB; Pamela Haneberg, ADN, RNC-OB; Katelyn Delamarter, BSN, RN; Tracy Kennedy, BSN, RN; Leah Amsberry, BSN, RNC- OB; Chelsea Lewellyn, BSN, RN; Erica Haner, BSN, RND-OB, Jamie Lindsey, BSN, RNC-OB; Rhiannon Laurie, BSN, RNC-OB.

Nurse Policy Entrepreneur Becoming a Full Partner in Healthcare Reform to Zero Suicide!

Author(s) and team members: Michael Polacek, MSN, RN, NDP-BC.

Nursing Satisfaction with Changing Acute Alcohol Withdraw Treatment Therapy

Author(s) and team members: Sierra Schneider, DVM, BSN, RN, CCRN.

Early Diagnostic Patterns Yielded Practice Changes for COVID-19 Infection

Author(s) and team members: Sierra Schneider, DVM, RN, BSN, CCRN.

Progress Meetings Guide Orientation and Empower New Graduate RN’s in Critical Care

Author(s) and team members: Kelly Honyak, MSN, RN, NPD-BC.

Decrease Trauma Retrospective Entries; Identification of Single System Injuries with Injury Severity Score (ISS) >9