GOOD PEOPLE HOSPITAL

2015 Staff Competency Plan

Outpatient Cardiac Rehab Program

Topic1 / Rationale2 / Schedule3
1st q / 2nd q / 3rd q / 4th q
Exercising LVAD
Patients / LOW VOLUME:
·  A growing number of heart failure patients are being treated with Left ventricular Assist Devices (LVAD)
·  Rehab staff need to understand the purpose & potential of LVAD devices
·  Familiarity with device safety features, alarms, batteries, etc. & how to respond to each is essential to patient care in rehab
·  Adjustment of assessment & exercise guidelines, e.g. no BP or pulse checks, is required for this special population / X
Strength Training / HIGH RISK:
·  Strength/resistance training is an increasingly common element of a rehab exercise program
·  Proper patient selection maximizes patient safety
·  Proper performance minimizes side effects/injuries
·  Program policies need to reflect national guidelines and be consistently followed to avoid patient complications / X
Calculating total exercise volume / NEW:
·  Evidence-based recommendations show that optimal exercise benefits accrue to patients who perform a total volume of 500-1000 MET-minutes of exercise per week
·  That volume is comprised of both in rehab & outside exercise
·  MET tables enable combining those exercises
·  All staff should know how to compute that exercise volume data / X
Assessing readiness to change risk factors / PROBLEMATIC:
·  All patients are not ready to change all risk factors just because they are now in rehab
·  Staff needs to know how to determine if, when, & what a patient is ready to change
·  The trans-theoretical model (TTM) of readiness to change provides a practical means of determining readiness that can be integrated into initial & ongoing patient assessments
·  Staff responsible for patient assessment need to implement the stages of change questions / X

Notes: 1. Each topic requires a cognitive component (new knowledge) and a performance (new skill)

component. Learning packets that include an article, sample policy, etc. and a skills checklist

are developed for each topic and completed by each staff member.

2. Topics selected by the staff are important aspects of care that are high risk, low frequency,

problem-prone, or new.

3. Completion of each competency includes review/revision (or original development) of the

corresponding program policy, treatment protocol, or chart form.