Kootenai | Kootenai Health | Issue 1, 2019

Getting it Done Right New epilepsy monitoring unit draws inspiration and insight from Mayo Clinic By Andrea Nagel To learn more about Kootenai Clinic Neurology, visit KH.org/neurology or call (208) 625-5100 . Last August, a team of Kootenai Health neurology experts and nursing leadership traveled to Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, Arizona, to see firsthand how one of the nation’s best epilepsy monitoring units operates. With construction for Kootenai’s new epilepsy monitoring unit underway, this site visit was beneficial for the team to learn about the design, workflow and safety features necessary for this special unit. “We want to model our unit after one that is already very successful,” said Cliff Hampton, M.D., Kootenai Clinic Neurology. “Mayo Clinic is the best out there. Their unit is dialed in and their staff was extremely accommodating to our team and willing to share.” An epilepsy monitoring unit (EMU) is a unit in the hospital run by specialists in epilepsy. These specially designed patient rooms provide in-depth diagnostic and treatment services for people experiencing seizures or epilepsy that may be difficult to diagnose or treat. When the unit opens later this year as part of Kootenai’s 3 East expansion, it will have two patient rooms, with plans to expand it to four. “We’re in a unique position because we can design this unit from the ground up, whereas many units like this are added in an existing space much later,” Dr. Hampton said. “That was the case at Mayo Clinic. Because we can design our unit from scratch, their nurses and physicians were able to offer advice and recommend changes they would make to improve the layout and function of the rooms if given the chance.” One of the biggest takeaways for the team was Mayo Clinic’s focus on patient safety. Every aspect of the room and care procedures put patient safety in the forefront. “In other EMUs I’ve worked in, I only had to focus on the medical operations, because the units and procedures were already in place,” Dr. Hampton said. “Being part of the creation of this unit has shown me what a big component safety is. Everything Mayo Clinic suggested based on their experience had to do with making things safer for our patients.” In addition to providing a tour of the unit and the chance to see daily operations, Mayo Clinic shared their policies and procedures, education and training materials, and has regularly checked in following the visit. “Some of the biggest challenges in creating a new service like this is defining our workflows, policies, and developing the supporting materials and training for staff and patients,” Kim Christen, Kootenai Clinic Neurology manager, said. “Being part of the Mayo Clinic Care Network and having access to these resources has been invaluable. They took this complicated, nebulous idea and made it realistic and workable. And because it’s Mayo Clinic, we know the information is tested and proven to be successful. It’s a great base for us to build from.” Cliff Hampton, M.D. 20