Wexner Medical Center Enhances Manual BP Skills/Competency Training

 

Organization: Wexner Medical Center
HESS Components Used: Sphygmomanometer
Other Platforms Utilized: Low Fidelity Manikin, TV Monitor

The Story:

 

Anna Jaso MSN, RN NPD-BC, Betsey Eastwood MS,RN, and Brenda Hamer APRN, FNP-BC are Nurse Educators at Ohio State University Medical Center. This team of educators developed and implemented a manual blood pressure skill station for their unlicensed assisted personnel (UAP) for their onboarding education. Incorporating the HESS Sphygmomanometer simulator has enhanced their learner’s experience by increasing competence and confidence.

While they also use traditional approaches such as having the learners practice taking BP readings on each other, the HESS takes things to a whole new level. Using the HESS Anna quickly created a set of around 20 BP scenarios - situations the learners would not see first hand taking blood pressures on each other. These include scenarios such as BP's that are high and require re-inflation to verify the reading or BP's that are dangerously low requiring intervention.

With many learners efficiency is important. The learners take turns using the Sphygmomanometer - but if it is not their turn they can still see and hear what is happening on the Sphygmomanometer since the HESS can be connected to the TV monitor in the room. So all the learners benefit from exposure to all the scenarios - AND the ensuing discussions.

This is when the benefits of "active learning" kick in. When the learner has to wait.... and wait.... for that first Korotkoff sound because the BP is a dangerously low 80/40, they are experiencing the unusual and concerning situation first hand. One slightly nervous learner commented after performing the exercise correctly that "I hope that never happens with a real patient." The instructor simply replied "It will."

But the increased competence and confidence that the learner had gained from "doing it" correctly allowed her to just smile and laugh at the instructor's comment. Not only do the learners gain experience and reduce stress from actually handling non-routine situations, they say they enjoy the exercises with the HESS too!

Thanks Anna, Betsey and Brenda!