IPPL Clinical Practice and Policy November Round-up: Dynamic Health Updates + New Look to Workplace Notes + Fall Prevention Month + National Pain Awareness Week + Diabetes Awareness Month

IPPL Clinical Practice and Policy round-up posts keep you informed about implementation and use of Dynamic Health at Nova Scotia Health, highlight any new priority projects and events, and updates to our Workplace Notes and Custom Workplace Skills. We’ll also highlight new publications we’re supporting and maintaining including policies, clinical practice support guides, clinical resources on the intranet and clinical learning modules.

Dynamic Health Updates

We receive feedback submissions on an ongoing basis through the Suggest an Edit form and through partnerships with departments and teams. This month, the following customizations have been added:

New Workplace Note

• Administering Intradermal Allergy Skin Testing
• Performing Point-of-Care Blood Glucose Testing

Revised Workplace Note

• Administering COVID-19 Vaccine
• Administering Parenteral Nutrition
• Administering Parenteral Nutrition via Central Venous Access
• Administering Parenteral Nutrition via Peripheral Venous Access
• Assisting With Paracentesis
• Managing Acute Hemolytic Transfusion Reactions
• Managing Transfusion-Associated Circulatory Overload (TACO) in Adults
• Performing a 12-Lead Electrocardiogram in Pediatric Patients
• Providing Fluid Resuscitation or Massive Transfusion Using a Rapid Infusion Device
• Vaccinating Adults
• Vaccinating Children
• Vaccinating Infants

Reviewed: No Workplace Note

• Managing Dyspnea in Patients With Cancer

New Look: Workplace Notes

We are now able to use a bit more style when laying out our workplace notes in Dynamic Health, thanks to a recent system update! We can now add headers, bullets and bolding more easily. We can also embed links within the text of workplace notes.

If a suite of skills is connected to a Clinical Practice Support guide, the note may look like this:

• Administering Parenteral Nutrition via Central Venous Access

If a skill is standalone and unconnected to a Clinical Practice Support guide, the note may look like this:

• Providing Emergency Care to Patients With Sepsis

There will continue to be diversity of layout of notes, but this style will be applied to all new and updated content moving forward. If you have any feedback, questions, etc., reach out to DynamicHealth@nshealth.ca.

Health Promotion in November and Dynamic Health Topics

November 2024 marks the promotion of:

• Fall Prevention Month
• National Pain Awareness Week - November 3-9
• Diabetes Awareness Month

In recognition of these health promotion events, we encourage you to engage with the curated list of Dynamic Health content below.

If you spot any Skills below that you feel need a Workplace Note, consider being a reviewer! Fill out our Suggestions for Skills form with your notes and we will get in touch!

Fall Prevention Month

• Disease & Condition Overviews
  • Hip Fracture
  • Orthostatic Hypotension, Adult
  • Subdural Hematoma, Adult
• Signs & Symptoms
  • Muscular Weakness, Adult
  • Waddling Gait
• Skills
  • Using a Fall Risk Assessment Tool
  • Implementing a Fall Prevention Plan
  • Educating Older Adults About Fall Prevention: Physical and Occupational Therapy
  • Assessing Fall Risk in Adults: Physical Therapy
• Patient Handouts
  • Exercises to Help Prevent Falls (available in English and Spanish)
  • How to Prevent Falls (available in multiple translations)

National Pain Awareness Week

• Disease & Condition Overviews
  • Peripheral Neuropathy
  • Phantom Limb Pain
• Signs & Symptoms
  • Acute Pain, Adult
  • Flank Pain, Adult
  • Abdominal Pain, Adult
• Skills
  • All Clinical Practice Supports - Pain assessment and documentation > HERE:
    https://library.nshealth.ca/Clinical-Practice-Nursing/Pain
• Patient Handouts
  • Neuropathic Pain (available in English and Spanish)
  • Acute Abdominal Pain (available in English and Spanish)
  • Managing Chronic Low Back Pain (available in English and Spanish)

Diabetes Awareness Month

• Disease & Condition Overviews
  • Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus, Adult
  • Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Adult
• Signs & Symptoms
  • Hypoglycemia, Adult
  • Hyperglycemia, Adult
• Skills
  • Educating About Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus in Adults
  • Educating About Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Adults
  • Caring for the Diabetic Foot
  • Managing Hypoglycemia in Conscious Adults
  • Managing Hypoglycemia in Unconscious Adults
• Patient Handouts
  • Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease: What's the Link?(available in English and Spanish)
  • Taking Care of Your Diabetes When You Are Sick(available in English and Spanish)
  • Type 1 Diabetes(available in multiple translations)
  • Type 2 Diabetes(available in multiple translations)

IPPL Clinical Practice and Policy

Gloria Connolly, RN, BScN, NCA, WOCC(c), GNC(c)
Clinical Nurse Educator
Interprofessional Practice and Learning

Leah MacDonald, RN, BSc, BScN
Professional Practice Leader
Interprofessional Practice and Learning, ERIN Network

Katie McLean
Librarian Educator
Interprofessional Practice and Learning, ERIN Network Hub, Library Services

Margaret Poitras
Policy Lead
Policy Office

Valorie Shaddick, BNRN, CCNP, CVAA (c)
Clinical Nurse Educator
Interprofessional Practice and Learning

Ann Slaunwhite
Library Technician
Interprofessional Practice and Learning, Library Services