OK....what do you all think? Nursing expert comments on future of health care

The auditorium of the School of Nursing at Fairfield University was filled with a cross section of staff members from Wilton Meadows Health Care and Rehabilitation Center and similar skilled nursing facilities in Greenwich, New Milford and Hamden. Nurses, nurse managers, nursing assistants, dietitians, recreation staff, administrators, nearly 100 people, were ready to hear one of the most respected experts in the field: Dr. Courtney Lyder, dean and professor of nursing and health services and director of the Patient Safety Institute at UCLA, the first African-American male to lead a U.S. nursing school.

“I’ve read all 2,700 pages of the Health Reform Act,” he said. “It took me a month, and it made me realize that the way the act is implemented will make all the difference.”

Dr. Lyder’s two main concerns are quality care and patient safety, the same concerns that a skilled nursing facility like Wilton Meadows faces every day. Many long-term and short-term residents of skilled nursing homes come directly from hospitals, where patient safety often leaves much to be desired, he said. The problems are called HACs (hospital- accquired conditions). Dr. Lyder listed preventable falls, infections acquired from catheters or surgery, incorrect dosage of medications, pneumonia, and pressure sores, as well as less frequent but more disastrous errors in the operating room.

“What will happen with health reform is that patient safety will be a top priority, monitored by electronic medical recording (EMR) systems. Diagnosis, treatment and outcomes will be known and obstacles to patient safety will simply not be paid for,” Dr. Lyder said. “There is $85 billion in federal money for improvement in patient safety through EMRs.”

“How do we get some of that money?” Andrew Krochko, Wilton Meadows administrator, asked. “We’re conscious of patient safety every minute of every day, but we constantly receive additional mandates, which are unfunded and require staff overtime work without payment.”

Dr. Lyder replied that health care reform will develop into a “pay-for-performance” system and with consistent proof of quality care, funding will be available, though increased demand for a shrinking dollar is inevitable. “The goal is the right care for the right patient at the right time.”

For the second segment of his talk, Dr. Lyder presented some reassuring observations about how quality care and preventative care can reverse some myths about the increasingly elderly population. “Loss of teeth, constipation, dementia, incontinence, loss of interest in sexuality are not normal,” he said. “Health reform emphasizes knowledge and prevention.” He also said nursing is one of the most noble and optimistic of professions. “Nursing is complex and exciting. Nurses can transform the world.”

“The future is challenging; it will be a change of culture,” said Dr. Lyder. “But I live with what I learned from my grandmother: ‘Don’t ask God for a lighter burden; pray for a stronger back.’”

A workshop in which members of the public may view and offer input on conceptual plans for the Wilton train station area will take place Thursday, June 17, from 4:30 to 8, at Veterans Park Elementary School cafeteria, 8 Governor Street, Ridgefield. The meeting, to be conducted in an open house format, will also look at the Branchville area and the area around the Route 7/Route 35 intersection.

The meeting is part of a series of public workshops presented by the South Western Regional Planning Agency (SWRPA) for the Route 7 Transportation and Land Use Study.

The public is invited to attend and get involved in planning for the future of these three geographic areas of focus that, as part of the overall study, have been selected to be studied in greater detail.

A first series of workshops with small-group, hands-on exercises were conducted in May for each focus area to identify specific issues and a vision for each focus area. This second workshop will be an open house format. People are welcome to drop in at any time during the workshop timeframe to view and provide input on the conceptual plans illustrating the potential for each focus area in the future.

Area residents, land owners, business owners, commuters, and all interested parties are encouraged to attend this workshop. Public opinion and information collected will be an important component in developing an improvement plan for Route 7.

To provide comments or to find out more information regarding this study, visit the Web site at route7study.org.

Discuss this story here: http://www.ultimatenurse.com/forum/f...90/#post138723