Fueled by a desire to improve care and spread knowledge, the cardiovascular nurses of Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) are emerging as leaders in New England and nationally. Their recent work has culminated – for now – in creating the New England Boston Society for Vascular Nursing, (a new chapter of the international Society for Vascular Nursing) and award-winning research.
Cardiovascular nurses treat patients with common diseases and complex conditions of the heart and vascular systems. Their patients range from those who’ve just had complicated vascular surgery to others who have systemic cardiovascular disease or peripheral vascular disease. They also work with specialists in the prevention of heart and vascular disease.
The cardiovascular nurses work on the 8th floor of the Shapiro Cardiovascular Center at BWH, a state-of-the-art cardiovascular facility that provides a full spectrum of inpatient and outpatient services. Over the last several years, the Shapiro 8 team has led numerous efforts to improve patient care, educate health professionals and patients, and serve as a voice for cardiovascular nurses in Boston and beyond.
Their efforts began with a small display table to celebrate the first official Massachusetts Vascular Nurses Week in 2014. They were spurred on by the response from patients and medical staff.
“We heard from them that they wanted to learn more about vascular disease,” said Karen Hanrahan, RN. Since then, the annual event has become more robust, with vascular screenings and demonstrations of stents and other devices.
Invigorated by their 2014 experience, the nurses sought out other avenues for learning and sharing knowledge. They became active in the Society for Vascular Nursing and laid the foundation for a New England chapter (which soon will be formalized). They began attending the group’s annual meeting. When they returned in following years, they presented research conducted at BWH.
One recent project investigated the causes of delays in patient discharge, a common problem in hospitals. In collaboration with vascular surgeons, they identified communication gaps, then created and tested a system for better nurse-physician communication. The result was a more efficient discharge process, with less waiting time for patients. By sharing this research among their colleagues nationwide at the 2017 conference of the Society for Vascular Nursing, the process could be emulated in other hospitals. When they reported on their research, the cardiovascular nurses won first place for best research poster, titled “Nursing Role in Patient Progression Initiative.”
At BWH, the initiative taken by the cardiovascular nurses has inspired better teamwork – which benefits patients. “Our collaborative efforts with our medical colleagues have improved, as they see that we want to learn more,” said Denise Marie Fay, RN.
“We have a lot of support to share knowledge of vascular disease,” added Anabelen Contreras, RN.
