Hackensack Meridian Health’s Dedication to Quality on Full Display at Inaugural Quality Research Conference

Clinicians submitted dozens of original abstracts focused on improving patient care.

Hundreds attended Hackensack Meridian Health’s inaugural Quality Research Conference where clinicians from across the network presented abstracts focused on inventive ways to improve patient care. The conference was held last month at the Marigold in Somerset and was the first to be put on by Hackensack Meridian Health’s Institute for Quality Science. The conference is the first in a series of quality conferences that will be presented by the Institute for Quality Science throughout the year as Hackensack Meridian Health continues to examine innovative ways to elevate its quality of care.

“At Hackensack Meridian Health our mission is to transform health care, and that mission was on full display at this conference,” said Robert C. Garrett, CEO, Hackensack Meridian Health. “It was an honor to open up this conference and inspiring to witness all the innovation happening every day here at Hackensack Meridian Health.”

Hackensack Meridian Health clinicians submitted more than 60 abstracts for the conference. The abstracts tackled many of the major topics facing health care today from improving maternal and infant care to easing a stroke patient’s transition from hospital to home.

“The overwhelming response is testament to our clinical teams and their constant pursuit to finding new and better ways to care for our patients,” said Carol L. Barsky, M.D., MBA, FAAEM, chief quality officer, executive vice president of Hackensack Meridian Health and professor of emergency medicine at Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall University. “This conference provided our dedicated physicians, nurses and pharmacists a new way to collaborate and a venue where they could present their research in implementation and quality improvement science.”

A panel of judges selected the following six abstracts to be presented during the meeting:

The Implementation of the Neonatal Early Onset Sepsis (EOS) Calculator in the NICU at Joseph M. Sanzari Children's Hospital. Sejal Makvana Bhavsar, M.D., Harold Perl, M.D., Pooja Shah, Pharm. D, BCPPS, and Krystyna Toczylowski MSN, RN.

Enhancing Stroke Care - Transitioning after Discharge. Jacqueline Dwyer, RN, MSN, CNRN, Nimfa BayaHoward, RN, NP-C, NVRN, Kathryn Donohue, RN, NP-C, SCRN, Carrie Liming, RN NP-C, SCRN, Valeria Miller, RN, MSN, CNRN, Stacy Piccolo, RN, NP-C, and Barbra Wyczesany, RN, NP-C, SCRN

Minimizing Transition of Care Interruptions. Gladys Rojas, MD, PGY2 and Srividya Naganathan, MD.

Quantified Blood Loss: A New Accurate and Reliable Method for Early Detection of Postpartum Hemorrhage. Andrew Rubenstein, M.D., Claudia Douglas, DNP, RN, APN-C, and Sharon Sledge, MA, MS, RN.

Nurse-Led Initiative to Decrease DSWI in CABG Patients. Alyssa Gonzalez, BSN, RN, PCCN and Christina Sanchez, BSN, RN.

The C.A.S.T. Program: A Novel Approach to Improve Cultural and Communication Awareness Using Student Theater. Paul Schwartzberg, D.O., MBA, Srividya Naganathan, M.D., Carmela Rocchetti, M.D., and Yen-Hong Kuo, PhD.

The three poster winners were:

A Data Analytics Approach to Improving the Quality of Rare Disease Discovery by Kenneth Lieberman, M.D.

Reducing 30-day Readmissions Due to Dehydration After Bariatric Surgery at a High Volume Center: An Opportunity for Improvement by Erica Amianda, PA-C, Donna Swartz, RN, CPPS and Hans J. Schmidt, M.D.

Partnering with Patients and Families to Coproduce Better Care and Outcomes by Yukiko Kimura, M.D., Doreen Tabussi, MSN, APN, CPN and Vincent Del Gaizo, BS

The Mayo Clinic’s Victor M. Montori, M.D., author of Why We Revolt – Patient Revolution for Careful and Kind Care, helped kick off the meeting by giving the keynote address. After the keynote address and oral presentations, attendees participated in four workshops all of which focused on how Hackensack Meridian Health can use scientific rigor to elevate its quality of care.

This inaugural event was made possible thanks to the support of The Hackensack University Medical Center Foundation. For more information on the Institute for Quality Science, please visit hackensackmeridianhealth.org/IQS.