Hospitals in pursuit of excellence

Engagement Drives Improvement

At the 7th Biennial Joanna Briggs International Colloquium in Chicago this fall, Kathi Patterson, RN, a clinical nurse specialist at Poudre Valley Health System in northern Colorado, discussed her system?s long-term efforts to implement a comprehensive review process for evidence-based practice initiatives. In 2008, Poudre Valley won a Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for its quality improvement efforts; the system also holds a Magnet Designation for Nursing Excellence from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Patterson said the system prioritizes evidence-based projects by their relevance to daily practice, the skill sets of the project employees and their potential return on investment. Patterson says the system has been able to engage clinicians in its evidence-based practice review process. ?Anybody can bring us a question,? Patterson says. ??We never expect all [clinicians] to do system reviews, but rather that they all appreciate the spirit of inquiry in everything they do.? For more information on evidence-based practice initiatives at Poudre Valley Health System, email Kathi Patterson at kap3@pvhs.org.