QUALITY IMPROVEMENT INITIATIVES  

Preventing Hospital Acquired Infections

There are several things that are done at Porter Hospital to prevent infections. Total surveillance and monitoring of all cultures from the Laboratory is done by the Infection Control Department. In addition, a process is in place to track reports of Multiple Drug Resistant Organisms (MRDOs) in the surrounding community and their potential impact on Porter Hospital and its Patients. This includes newer strains of bacteria that continue to become threats to healthcare. Porter, with other Vermont Hospitals, has also participated in a State¬wide collaborative to decrease the incidence and transmission of MDROs.

Other areas of prevention include:

• Environmental cultures and surveillance rounds done by the Infection Control Preventionist and the Head of Environmental Services.
  
• New Concepts are practiced in the care of indwelling urinary catheters to prevent urinary tract infections.
• Additional hand hygiene sanitizer receptacles have been added to all Patient care areas.
• The Pharmacy practices antibiotic stewardship. This concept is quite involved and includes a report from the laboratory called an antibiogram. This summary report is a method of testing the efficacy of antibiotics. The Director of Pharmacy and his staff coordinate and track these results with constant communication with the Medical Staff as to the proper selection and use of antibiotics in treating our Patients.

The Nursing Department, Pharmacy, Quality of Care, and Infection Control closely monitor Patient care outcomes. This, along with practices of appropriate isolation, good hand hygiene, and proper environmental practices contribute to Porter's infection prevention program.

Mary Jane Rajda
Infection Control Manager
Porter Hospital
115 Porter Drive
Middlebury, VT 05753

Electronic Health Information System/EMR

Porter Hospital is in the midst of implementing a new Electronic Health Information System/Electronic Health Record for our entire hospital and each of our “Porter Practice Management” primary and specialty practices.

We have already “gone live” with several components of this new system, and will be continuing with this throughout the remainder of this year. Our practices will launch their new system at the end of May and will introduce the new system throughout the summer.

The implementation of this new system promises improved collaboration and communication between our hospital and our practices….as well as between Porter Hospital and other organizations/providers throughout Vermont. In the longer term, we expect that improved care coordination will contribute to better health outcomes for our patients and overall better health care for our community.

Denis Mailloux
Information Technology
Porter Hospital
388-4701

Transitions in Care/Re-Admissions Project

As part of an ongoing, statewide collaborative focused on “improving transitions in care” and decreasing the need for hospital readmission, a multidisciplinary team of Porter staff continue their work toward improving the patient care experience and discharge process, as well as ensuring appropriate follow up care has been arranged for after discharge. The process of reviewing a patient’s discharge needs begins upon admission to the hospital, and continues as a multidisciplinary effort throughout their hospital stay. Whether discharged to home or to another care setting, each patient’s individual needs are evaluated to ensure their post discharge needs will be met.

Marianne Visicaro, RN
Risk Management/ Performance Improvement
Porter Hospital, Inc.
(802) 382-3460

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