Staff Training and Patient Education
The Renal Network, Inc. works with dialysis facilities, professional groups and community-based agencies and organizations to create workshops and educational programs for patients, family members, dialysis staff and the general population.
Programs for patients and family members may focus on self-esteem, communication, coping with depression, quality of life and anger management.
Staff in-service programs may address team building, behavior management, compliance issues and working with special populations.
Individual Inservice Programs
Training modules are created in consultation and tailored specifically to meet the needs of the target population. Network staff can present training modules or materials can be made available to facility staff for presentation. Contact Kathi Niccum, Ed D, Director of Patient Services Department for additional information.
A. Communication/Professionalism
One of the most frequently reported staff-related complaints from patients involves the lack of staff professionalism and/or problems with communications.
- The Patient Whisperer: Compassionate Care for Challenging Situations (Recorded on Friday, January 29, 2010)
Participants will learn about effective communication techniques and professionalism. The session is designed to assist staff in developing skills to better interact and build rapport with patients.
B. Patient Safety
One of the most frequently reported treatment-related/quality of care complaints from patients involves safety issues during dialysis treatment.
- Safety in the Dialysis Unit
(Recorded on Thursday, February 4, 2010)
Participants will learn about common patient complaints related to safety and steps that can be taken to ensure safe compassionate care.
C. Motivational Interviewing
A widely used counseling approach to promote change behaviors by exploring and resolving ambivalence. Although the training programs may be geared towards a specific topic, the techniques used are the same.
- Helping the Patient Make Healthy Fistula Choices
(Recorded on June 23, 2009)
Provides staff with motivational tools to address barriers to AV fistulas as a vascular access choice.
D.
Coaching
An approached used to help individuals identify goals and
develop the skills need to acheive them. this model has been shown to be especially successful in peer-to-peer programs.
- Fistula Coaching Program
(Recorded on June 24, 2009)
A model program fro the development of a peer-to-peer traing program to address the barriers to AV fistulas a vascular access choice.
E. Patient Culture
Facilitating patient change requires good communication and both problem solving and decision making skills. However for all of these tools and skills to be successfully applied, an atmosphere or culture of change must exist.
- Patient Culture
Offered as part of the Vascular Access: Networking for Solutions learning session, patient culture is examined as a critical component of quality improvement. [Be sure to explore handouts for this session.]