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BEST PRACTICES OF A SUCCESSFUL HEARTCODE PROGRAM
Five Pillars of a Successful Program
The following five pillars have been developed over
time as stories of best practices that have been
gathered from successful HeartCode users with high
utilization rates of their program. Taking the time to
work through these steps while staff becomes familiar
with the program and manikins is key to a strong
program start. If a strong foundation is created, a
group of program advocates is established, and core
principles are followed – organizations find that
HeartCode is a welcomed and successful new program.
1. Administration: Gaining the buy-in of a unified
group of individuals from the start will build
momentum and help avoid future resistance. In
order to do this, a clear vision must be
established that can be used to draw in the
interest and commitment of staff and students.
Ask the following questions: “Why are we doing
this?” and “What is our vision for this program?”
After the vision is established, define the roles
and responsibilities of individuals involved and
develop a timeline for implementation.
2. Infrastructure: Logistics must be addressed before
3. Training: It is highly recommended that
Administrators complete HeartCode training
with HealthStream either through a group
training in Nashville, an individualized training at
their hospital, or through a series of webinars.
After completing this formal training, it is also
encouraged that the Administrators take the
training to their hospital or hospital system and
their instructors and coaches.
4. Sustainability: A plan for sustainability is key to the
long-term success of every HeartCode program.
A plan to build organizational awareness and
develop staff engagement will set up the program
for success.
5. Outcome: It is important to decide from the
beginning how and what is going to be captured
for research purposes. This is innovative
resuscitation technology that is having dramatic
effects on survival rates, and each hospital utilizing
HeartCode will want to capture the outcomes
associated with their program. Decide what data
will be collected, how ROI will be analyzed, and
what ongoing evaluation will look like.
the launch takes place. Consider if new policies
need to be implemented and, if so, begin
developing these. Address issues such as space,
access, and maintenance—where will the
manikins be kept and when can staff access them?
Can staff complete the online portion at home or
should they be onsite for this? Who will be in
charge of maintaining the manikins?
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