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DECEMBER 2022

KEEP CALM AND LET'S RECAP

Internal Stroke Program From a new Chief Twit (eh hem, we see you Elon) to the Ukraine Crisis, to inflation and soaring gas prices, 2022 has been anything but dull. We saw shakeups in the royal family, student loan forgiveness (…well, maybe), and supply chain disruptions. There is no doubt that 2022 has been another challenging year. Despite all of that, 2022 has also been home to some very good news:  Moderna officially entered Phase 1 clinical trials for their HIV vaccine Bengals fans donated ~ 26,000 meals to a KC food bank after winning the Super Bowl (ok, I know…the chiefs had to lose to get there, but still a win for KC in its own right) CO2 emissions in the U.S. dropped to their lowest levels since 1991 California sea otters came off of the endangered species list As 2022 winds down, it is again time for the stroke program to reflect on some of the biggest moments and greatest success from the past year:

Awards on Awards on Awards The stroke program has received top honors from the American Heart Association for the 15th year running. This year, the program was awarded both the Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus Award and the Target: Type II Diabetes Honor Roll Award. New Tech Toy In May, the stroke program acquired the Health-o-Meter scale to ensure that an accurate weight is easy to obtain for acute stroke patients without delaying care. EPIC Updates Galore This year we made the goal to begin streamlining our documentation process. To date, we have made changes to the NIHSS Doc Flowsheet, added the medication mismatch BPA, edited the provider and the nursing ASRT notes, added a quick stroke button for IR, implemented a standardized consult note, with many more changes still in the works. Tenecteplase Transition In September, the program made the leap to begin using Tenecteplase for acute ischemic stroke patients as our IV thrombolytic of choice. This transition reflects the current best practice to streamline administration and improve patient outcomes. Supply Chain Disruptions & Shortages Throughout the year, we encountered many supply shortages. Two of these just happened to be vital to the care of stroke patients, alteplase and IV contrast. Our team came together to quickly develop and implement plans to ensure that our patients continued receiving top notch care. Information at Your Fingertips The updated Stroke Center Handbook was released in flipbook form to make information regarding the care of stroke patients easily available on mobile devices for the entire team.

Outreach The SCRN Review course reached over 100 RNs from around the U.S. in 2022 with one more class to go in December! Our Stroke Support group has been a great success! Each month, we have 10-15 Stroke Survivors attend. This group is going to help form a Stroke Survivor Peer Support program in 2023.

Research C3FIT has 25 patients enrolled and counting! The project has seen many successes and wins with our stroke patients, as well as assisted most to remain connected to the health system and community resources. Patients readmitted for stroke or complications receive additional support and contact from the study team. Please remember to screen all stroke patients who live within Wyandotte and Johnson counties for possible participation and receive free monthly home visits from a nurse practitioner for one year.

Data Dashboards and Reports, and PowerPoints oh my! Well, 2022 has been a year full of sharing information across multiple disciplines and among hundreds of employees highlighting our productivity. Every year, it’s clear that stroke activations are climbing as well as interventional cases. During all the busiest we have managed to avoid diversion and provide quality care to hundreds of patients in need. We have shown that we can be relied upon for their care regardless of circumstance!   We recently launched a new SharePoint site where employees can access program content more easily without jumping over so many security hoops. We plan on expanding this site over time with more educational content and data metrics. In today’s age where data is the new oil, we aim to use it meaningful ways to drive process improvement and highlight ongoing challenges, growth, and accomplishments.

Brain Teaser

And the Winner Is...   Congratulations to the November Quiz winner Jennifer Lombardi! Chaeli Stenuf will be in contact with the winners for more info on how to retrieve their $10 coffee gift card.   November Quiz Answers: True or False: In the United States, Thanksgiving is the biggest drinking night of the year. True What percent of Americans say that eating Thanksgiving leftovers is more important than the actual Thanksgiving meal? 65% How many calories do you think the average American consumes during their Thanksgiving meal? 3,000 - 4,500 How large is a turkey's brain? A turkey's brain is about 7g (0.25 oz), or the size of 2 pennies.   In 1953, Swanson overestimated the number of frozen turkeys that would sell for Thanksgiving by 26 tons. The decision they made afterwards forever changed our eating options. What do you think they did with the extra meat? The company decided to slice up the extra meat and repackage it to create the first TV dinners.

DON'T FORGET, every month, everyone who correctly answers the quiz question will be entered in a drawing to win a $10 coffee shop gift card! Seems like an easy way to stay caffeinated during those particularly exhausting shifts.

Spotlight

Carley Carter, MD, Neurology Resident How long have you been working in this role? I started residency at KU in July 2019. How does your role impact stroke patients? I am directly involved in the initial evaluation and treatment of stroke patients at KUMC under the supervision of our Vascular Neurologists and continue to be a part of our patient's care after they leave the hospital. When was the moment you knew you wanted to be a physician and why? I became fascinated with Neuroscience as I was pursuing a degree in Psychology and found my passion for working with patients as I volunteered for non-profit organizations during my undergraduate training. I knew I wanted to go to medical school to pursue a career in Neurology and I continue to enjoy it more every day.  What advice would you give someone who wants to follow in your professional footsteps? Don't be afraid to pursue a career that interests you but also challenges you, whether that involves patient care, research or teaching. Neurology is a fast-growing field that provides so many career opportunities no matter your interests. What do you like to do in your spare time? In my free time, I can usually be found at a park with my dogs or on a bike trail training for a race. Running is a passion of mine and I have always found it to be a wonderful way to take care of my health while unwinding from the busy lifestyle that is working in healthcare.   What are some of your favorite movies, streaming shows, podcasts, or books? I love a good psychological thriller, whether or not a fictional novel or Netflix docuseries.  Send spotlight suggestions here

What's New?

The NIHSS order changes will go into effect on the 15th of this month. Make sure to check your email for information regarding what to expect. Join us via Zoom for our monthly Kansas Initiative for Stroke Survival (KISS) First Tuesday’s Stroke Education Series. Each month at 12:00 PM, Vascular Neurologist, Dr. Sabreena Slavin will give a 30 - minute presentation regarding stroke and the care surrounding it.   Join the ASF Education Series on from 11:00 AM - noon. Our Virtual and In-Person Stroke Support Group takes place the 3rd Wednesday of every month at our health system’s Acute Inpatient Rehab facility - 2nd Fl. This will be another resource for those patients and community who have suffered from a stroke.

Links Land Patients & Community Classes & Events Stroke Risk Assessment Internal Resources Resident Handbook Clinical Practice Guidelines COVID-19 S.H.E.E.P Handoff Videos & Tools Data Central Data Library Stroke Activations Performance Measures Achievements & Awards

Sharks Don’t Sleep Fact of the Month Jingle Bells was originally a song about Thanksgiving in 1857. It was also the first song ever played in space by astronauts.

Team Shout Out! Thank you for all of your work with the increased volume of interventional cases lately, especially Amanda Jordan and Kevin Olahndt who were on 33% of the EVT cases in November! Shout out suggestions?

Jeanie the Dog is wishing you all Happy Holidays! She made this video for you that is just that right amount of sweetness and creepiness for the New Year. Follow her on Instagram for more laughs @jeanie3legs.

The Fast & the Furious!

Congratulations to team members who achieved the below fastest intervention times!!!

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Technical Issues of general feedback? Please email us!