It is the only multidisciplinary facility on Long Island geared for pre- and post-school professional training and is focused on patient safety.The US Institute of Medicine estimates that up to 98,000 people die every year nationwide from medical errors and hospital-acquired infections. In response to that staggering statistic, North Shore-LIJ has created a goal of zero tolerance for medical errors and infections throughout its 15-hospital network across Long Island, Queens and Staten Island. "To reduce medical errors, we must equip our nurses and doctors with the best clinical training available," said Michael J. Dowling, the North Shore-LIJ Health System's president and chief executive officer. "The Patient Safety Institute is unparalleled on Long Island, providing a state-of-the-art learning environment for healthcare professionals to practice life-saving skills before a real-life tragedy strikes." A family of patient simulators - a man, woman and baby - is used at the Patient Safety Institute to help nurses, doctors and emergency medical workers sharpen their clinical skills. The patient simulators look and feel real and are anatomically correct. They cough, breath and complain when they are in pain.Using a computer, trained instructors in control rooms with one-way mirrors can manipulate the patient simulators to mimic virtually any medical scenario: a stroke, heart attack, small pox, amputation or other trauma. Clinicians can take vital signs, insert intravenous lines and practice inserting breathing tubes, as well as other procedures. All simulations are video recorded and reviewed during post-scenario debriefings."Patient simulators provide the opportunity to practice life-saving clinical skills in a realistic setting without risk to patients," said Dr. Lawrence G. Smith, North Shore-LIJ's chief academic officer and senior vice president of academic affairs. "The debriefing sessions are equally important because this is when the healthcare team can critique their own performance."The three patient simulators, developed by a Gatesville, Texas-based company called Laerdal, cost approximately $30,000 each. To minimize costs, various health system hospitals donated medical equipment and materials for the Patient Safety Institute located in Hauppauge.The patient simulation center will train medical students, surgical residents and nurses preparing for careers in operating rooms, emergency departments, critical care units and other fast-paced hospital environments as well as local emergency medical technicians.North Shore-LIJ's Patient Safety Institute also will provide mass disaster training for hospital and emergency medical workers, which would include managing casualties from chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, explosive and natural disasters.
St. John's to hold diabetes program
The Diabetes Education Program at St. John's Episcopal Hospital in Far Rockaway will hold a meeting on Monday, March 27 to help people suffering from the disease. The March 27 meeting will feature practitioner Dr. Lisa Choleff, who will speak on the prevention and management of diabetes, as well as the link between diabetes and obesity, insulin resistance, and Syndrome X. The free program will be held at 1:30 p.m. in the Board Room at St. John's Episcopal Hospital, which is located at 327 Beach 19th Street, Far Rockaway, NY 11691. While providing expert information about living with diabetes, the program offers a forum where questions and comments are welcome. The Diabetes Education Program meets monthly. To find out more about the Diabetes Education Program, leave a message with the Diabetes Education Program telephone number at (718) 869-7116.
