WSLHD shines at Essentials of Care showcase

The statewide Essentials of Care showcase, held on 23 May 2017, was well-represented by clinical departments from across WSLHD.

Auburn Hospital

Auburn Hospital’s nursing education team, led by Dora Szeto in collaboration with multicultural health’s Irene Choo and surgical ward staffers Riki Richards and Carrie Zhang, presented their poster: Empowering patients through teach-back. Teach-back is aimed at improving a patient’s understanding of health education by asking them to explain or “teach back” to the clinicians what they have learned and describe how they can implement the changes at home. Their poster was voted Best Poster by the showcase delegates.

Di McLean and Manisha Bista’s presentation on their team’s project in Medical A/COU, Helping my Heart, demonstrated patient empowerment by enabling patients to manage their fluid allowances at home, preventing hospital readmissions.

The Women’s Health team, led by Robyn Gasparotto, submitted a photo, Kung Foo Fighting. The image represented the midwives’ commitment to promoting flu vaccination during pregnancy.

Community Health

Jennie Mulligan and Julie Stevenson from the Child and Family Community Health team, in collaboration with midwives from Auburn, Blacktown and Westmead hospitals, presented their work on improving the journey for women, their infants and family by establishing a more cohesive, client-focused approach to providing clinical services.

Mental Health Services

Nirav Thakker, Gemma Guzman and Maria Abella from Paringa at Cumberland Hospital showcased their team’s sensory garden in a multimedia presentation, which highlighted their patients’ enjoyment of gardening, resulting in decreased aggressive episodes.

Willow Cottages submitted two projects. Nisha Bhardwaj presented a poster that described the benefits of the sensory room, which assists patients in managing their stress and aggression in a positive way.

Dorota Rodzen submitted a photograph of patients from Willow involved in medication education to improvement their understanding of the “whats and whys” of their treatment.

Mount Druitt Hospital

The hospital’s children’s ward won Best Photograph for Welcoming Smiles. Kathie Barry’s photo submission represented the oral care project they are undertaking with the children admitted to the ward.

Trish Dalgleish’s photo submission from the palliative care ward showed the love and care between family members. The touching image was taken by a daughter during her mother’s last days.

Westmead Hospital

The Cardiac Catheter Laboratory presented two posters at the showcase. Tamara Claxton, Andrew Bartlett and Lana Sengstock showcased their team’s work on smoothing the patient journey to the catheter lab with the design and implementation of a checklist. Their second poster displayed the innovative positional aides they developed to improve patient comfort and safety during the procedure.

Kathleen Summers and Susan Heath from the Perinatal Advice Referral and Liaison Service presented their findings after collecting stories from women of the care they had received following the birth of a rainbow baby. A rainbow baby is a child born after a miscarriage, stillbirth, neonatal death or infant loss.