Device Management Program: An Interactive Pathway

Purpose:
To decrease length of stay of patients with implanted Left Ventricular Assist Devices by involving the patients in their symptom and device management through interactive learning. It also increases accountability for nursing and other disciplines in plan of care and discharge planning process.

Significance:
The heart failure multidisciplinary team came together to develop a consistent plan of care for LVAD patients through interactive learning. This will help coordinate the multidisciplinary teams to attain the purpose of discharging patients safely with knowledge and competence in a timely manner.

Strategy and Implementation:
The Heart Failure multidisciplinary team developed an interactive POC with color-coded magnetic strips divided into 7 modules on a 4'x7' magnetic dry erase board called the Device Management Program (DMP). The board is divided into 3 columns, representing clinical goals, daily goals, and general information pertinent to their care. The colored modules signify the activities to be performed and are turned over from their respective colors to white upon completion. The target is to make the whiteboard white at the end of the day indicating that daily plan of care has been achieved. The interactive board provides visual cues to patients, family, and interdisciplinary team, the status of discharge and provides care using appropriate resources to facilitate safe discharges.

Evaluation:
Evaluate length of stay prior to and after the use of the Device Management Program. Measure the effectiveness of interactive learning through patient satisfaction scores.

Implications for Practice:
Nurses caring for LVAD patients can utilize the DMP to provide structured and consistent plan of care in achieving discharge goals. The DMP will help identify barriers to discharge, decrease length of stay, and facilitate effective use of resources by providing safe and quality care.