Rhode Island Hospital Earns Second Beacon Award For Critical Care Excellence

Posted Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Rhode Island Hospital's adult cardiothoracic intensive care unit (CTIC) has received, for the second time, the prestigious Beacon Award for Critical Care Excellence^®. The award, valid for three years, recognizes Rhode Island Hospital’s commitment to improving patient care through improved outcomes and greater overall satisfaction. Rhode Island Hospital is the only hospital in the state to earn the Beacon Award.

“Rhode Island Hospital is committed to providing the highest quality care to all of our patients,” said Timothy J. Babineau, M.D., president and chief executive officer of Rhode Island Hospital and The Miriam Hospital. “Our nursing staff on the cardiothoracic ICU care for many of our most complex, critically ill patients, and this prestigious national award recognizes our continued commitment to excellence and the outstanding care provided by our nursing staff.”

The American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN) now allows any hospital unit on which a patient receives principal nursing care after hospital admission, and that cares for high acuity and critically ill patients and meets evidence-based standards of excellence and patient safety, to apply for the Beacon Award. In the past, only adult and pediatric critical care units and progressive care units were eligible. The award includes three levels so that a unit can chart its excellence journey over time. Bronze, silver and gold recipients receive a three-year designation.

Rhode Island Hospital has received the Silver award by continuing to show favorable trends in several processes, procedures and systems.The award measures hospitals in five key areas: leadership structures and systems; appropriate staffing and staff engagement; effective communication, knowledge management and best practices; evidence-based practices and processes; and patient outcomes. Additionally, new criteria align closely with those of other programs, such as the Magnet Recognition Program, allowing for a smoother process when a hospital applies for multiple national recognition programs.

Rhode Island Hospital scored particularly high in the heaviest-weighing section – patient outcomes – based on its remarkably low surgical site infection and medication error rates.  Rhode Island Hospital is among 315 award recipients out of an estimated 6,000 intensive care units nationwide. Of these 315 units, only 43 have received the Beacon Award twice. 

Rhode Island Hospital has developed new initiatives to continue promoting a healthy work environment that meets the AACN criteria and provides for enhanced patient care, such as “Vision Workshop,” which gives the nursing staff the opportunity to offer meaningful input regarding professionalism expectations.

The Beacon Award for Critical Care Excellence® was created by AACN in 2003 to challenge acute and critical care nurses to improve the care provided to acutely and critically ill patients. Nursing units that participate in the Beacon Award process help set the standards for what constitutes an excellent acute or critical care environment through the collection of evidence-based information.

Filed under: Cardio Institute,