Vivek Kaul, MD, Chief, Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology Center
for Advanced Therapeutic Endoscopy
with members of the CATE team
The rapid growth in technology in Endoscopy units across the country has led to tremendous improvements in patient care. Advanced GI suites now have the technology and patient acuity that rivals critical care units. GI interdisciplinary teams—made up of nurses, technicians, GI physicians, anesthesiologists and others—are necessary in order to maintain a culture of safety and quality along with patient and family satisfaction.
We’ve found that developing and implementing an advanced procedure orientation with team-based learning is critical to be successful in today’s advanced GI suites. Advanced procedure orientation requires that the GI interdisciplinary team implements systems to control costs and use resources efficiently, while providing continuous quality improvement and clinical expertise. Team-based learning is a specialized form of group learning that develops definitive goals and procedures. At URMC’s Gastroenterology and Hepatology Division, Nurse leaders Kristine Jaeger, BNS, CGRN and Mary Jo Ciaccia BSN, CGRN, serve as a tremendous resource to meet this goal. They have applied ongoing team cohesion and advanced procedure orientation on a consistent basis, resulting in improved learning experiences and better satisfaction amongst our unit members.
Defining and utilizing methods to help GI advanced interdisciplinary groups work effectively in teams is important for developing a safe and quality environment in healthcare.
Daniel Nowak MS, RN, ANE-BC