Long Island State Veterans Home Implements Exceptional Care Planning

Long Island State Veterans Home (LISVH), operated by the Health Sciences Center of Stony Brook University, has literally surrounded its staff with evidence-based care practices.  In December 2012, LISVH hosted a day-long training on Exceptional Care Planning (ECP) for staff from its own facility as well as professionals from nearby nursing homes.  ECP is a streamlined, personalized approach to care planning that is based on an interdisciplinary team developing Standards of Care (SOC).  These standards reflect the latest research available for best practices and describe the approaches that staff should follow when addressing a common health condition or challenge, such as pressure ulcers or falls.

LISVH convened an interdisciplinary committee to develop its SOC and utilized the online health sciences library accessible to employees through Stony Brook University to ensure that care practices are consistent with current research in the field.  They currently have fifteen interdisciplinary standards in use and have reinforced education for the staff through displaying large Standard of Care Guide posters on all units, break rooms and meeting locations.  The example PDF shows the bulleted points that highlight key aspects of each standard.  The full standards with complete descriptions are incorporated into LISVH's Electronic Medical Record (EMR) and are accessible to all staff through the facility's Intranet.  LISVH's SOC Guides are posted everywhere staff are present and will continue to be expanded as well as refined based on current research findings.

Contact: Karen Choens, krevitt@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8385, ext. 165