Working through challenges
“Within the Vidant system, we have seen great teamwork among physicians and care teams,” Evans said. “They are communicating regularly to decide whether or not the patients at smaller outlying facilities need to be transferred to Vidant Medical Center for further management of care. Within Vidant Medical Center, the different teams of doctors caring for COVID-19 patients are working closely together to ensure the patient is receiving the right level of care.”
Part of working as a team is conquering challenges that arise. A lot of challenges our members have never experienced before, which makes a team of great minds and different backgrounds important during a crisis.
“Initially, it was difficult for families to communicate with their loved ones due to visitation restrictions,” Evans said. “We have since developed a system that allows us to use technology so families can video chat with their family member. This has helped gain trust with families as they now have a better grasp on what is truly going on and the care plan.”
Thinking outside the box
Many teams had to develop some out of the box methods to help keep patients and staff safe.
“When we had our first COVID-19 patient, we moved the ventilator monitor and IV pumps outside of the room to allow for closer monitoring of the patients,” Evans said. “Speaking from a respiratory standpoint, this meant having someone design brackets to hold the ventilator monitor on a pole outside of the room and create extensions for the air and oxygen lines.“
Where do we go from here?
With many facilities still fighting this crisis and others’ slowly heading back to normal, where do we go from here? Evans says it’s all about teamwork.
“My suggestion to fellow colleagues would be to slow down, take your time assessing patients and work together with the team to make the right decisions for the care of these patients,” Evans said. “We are all a team, and without teamwork, what we do on a daily basis would not be possible.”
Email newsroom@aarc.org with questions or comments, we’d love to hear from you.
Addie Schiefer is the Content Manager for the AARC where she creates engaging content for the association via the AARC website, newsletters, and social media. Connect with her about potential stories by email, AARConnect, or LinkedIn. When she’s not working, you can find her listening to a true crime podcast, traveling to new places with her husband, hanging out with her dog JoJo, or browsing the aisles of the nearest Target.
