iPods in the iCU Kenyan midwife gets JGH perspective Proxim

iPods in the iCU
Nurses use new technology for quicker care
I
t’s no secret that the iPod Touch is fun and useful,
but who could have imagined it would do so much
for health care? Its value was confirmed after the
Departments of Nursing and IT launched a pilot
project in November to make iPods available to 40
nurses in the Intensive Care Unit.
“For at least the next three months, this initiative
will make information available quickly and easily,
which will improve patient care,” says Valerie
Frunchak, Nursing Director in Hospital Training
and Staff Development. Also on the team for this
project were Iris Gourdji, Nurse Specialist, Jacki
Raboy Thaw, Head Nurse in the ICU, and France
Guimont, Project Manager in IT.
“there is so much technology in there. We think
ICU nurses will be early adopters and will adapt
easily.” Ms. Raboy Thaw agrees, adding that ICU
nurses “don’t always have the luxury of going to
a computer
somewhere else;
we need splitsecond access
to information
at the bedside.
When this project
came to us, I thought,
‘This is great. This is
perfect.’”
Ms. Frunchak says the ICU was
the perfect place to
start, because
Nurses on the unit were part of the project from
the start and they look forward to benefiting from
the new technology. “I think it’s going to save a lot
of time and a lot of running around,” says Vicky
Morin, ICU Nurse. “I wonder why it took so long!”
adds fellow ICU Nurse Jessica Gramont.
Feedback will be collected from surveys
installed in every iPod. This
will give nurses a role
in reviewing and
improving the
technology before
it is introduced
in other hospital
areas.
ICU nurses show off their new iPod Touch devices
Pulse
Kenyan midwife gets
JGH perspective
4
From Left: Kimani Daniel, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Maternal Child Health; Marleen
Dehertog, Chief Midwife, Maison de naissance Côte-des-Neiges; Dr. Louise Miner,
Chief of Obstetrics and Obstetrical Ultrasound; Valerie Frunchak, Associate Director
of Nursing, Maternal-Child Health, Training and Staff Development; Zipporah
Musyoka, Head Nurse-Midwife Manager, Aga Khan University, Kenya Campus;
Nicole Maheux, Program Consultant, MOREob, Salus Corporation; and Karine
Vallee-Pouliot, Midwife, Maison de naissance Côte-des-Neiges.
A
Kenyan midwife made a stop at the Jewish General Hospital on Dec. 8 to discuss
clinical practices in her home country and to get the facts on the MOREob
program at the JGH. Zipporah Musyoka, Head Nurse and Midwife Manager at Aga
Khan University (a teaching hospital with a campus in Kenya), exchanged ideas with
nurses, midwives, doctors and other staff, as well as touring the JGH facilities. Since
2010, the Obstetrics & Gynecology Department has been participating in MOREob, a
three-year patient safety program endorsed by the Society of Gynecologists of Canada
and Accreditation Canada for its focus on patient safety and improving the ways in
which obstetrical teams work together.
Proxim officially
opens in the JGH!
From left: Myer Bick, President of the JGH Foundation, Rick
Dubrovsky, President of the Jewish General Hospital, Emmanuel
Abikhzer, Pharmacist-Owner of the Proxim pharmacy, Charles
Abikhzer of GIE, Claude Cloutier of Proxim and Alain Arel, General
Manager of Proxim.
O
n November 24, 2011, Proxim opened its newest pharmacy in the
Jewish General Hospital’s recently renovated main entrance on
Côte-Sainte-Catherine Road. The Proxim branch will provide complete
pharmacy products and services, in addition to specialized drugs and
medical equipment.
“Besides offering a much more convenient service, the integration
of health services will facilitate communication between health care
providers and patients,” says Emmanuel Abikhzer, Pharmacist-Owner
of Proxim.