Author(s): Gale Bucher, MSN, RN, CPHQ, CPHRM, FABC
Risk Specialist - Christiana Care Home Health
It has been my joy to have 30 years of home health experience, 10 years in quality and risk management for a large home health agency in the Mid-Atlantic. I have published performance improvement and research in peer reviewed journals and presented nationally.

Elizabeth Weiss, MOT, OTD, OTR/L, COS-C
Clinical Rehabilitation Educator - ChristianaCare HomeHealth
Weiss is an Occupational Therapist who serves as the Clinical Rehabilitation Educator for ChristianaCare HomeHealth. She has over 12 years of clinical experience and has practiced in skilled nursing facilities and home healthcare, as well as 2 years as an adjunct professor for an Occupational Therapy program. Weiss obtained her clinical doctorate in Occupational Therapy in 2019 where her passion for evidence-based practice and quality improvement blossomed. She approaches teaching using positive reinforcement and believes healthcare workers learn best when they feel safe, supported, and encouraged. To support best practices and quality outcomes in the home healthcare setting, Weiss utilizes a multitude of teaching styles conducive to the learner and their needs. She is a lifelong learner and always enthused to share learnings with her colleagues. She provides education to and supports a variety of home healthcare agency staff including nurses, rehabilitation professionals, home health aides, and social workers.

Pam Szczerba, MPT, PT, LSSGB, CPHQ
Director Quality & Risk Management - ChristianaCare HomeHealth
Member of the HomeHealth team for 26 years. Began my work as a physical therapist in the field. Served as a Rehab Coordinator and Rehab Consultant for 10 years and then Quality Manager for 3 years. In 2018 I became Director of Quality & Risk Management for HomeHealth. Earned my Lean Six Sigma Green Belt in 2018 and Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ) in 2019.

Competency Domain: Professional Engagement

Description: This session will discuss the impact of providing education to home healthcare staff through virtual huddles that are recurring, structured, and brief. Our home healthcare agency has utilized virtual education huddles to expand communication, drive patient safety, and facilitate survey readiness. We will discuss opportunities that led to the development of this intervention, topics presented to staff, obstacles to virtual education huddles, and tips for sustainability.Problem:Improve Communication and Organizational Learning scores in the Culture of Safety Survey by 5% by creating a virtual platform to engage, develop, and support agency staff and their learning needs.Measurement:Communication Openness and Organizational Learning scores from the Culture of Safety Survey in 2020 and 2022 were compared. Simple bar graphs of Survey response rates and scores were used to visually depict comparisons.Analysis:Percent changes were calculated to compare Survey response rates and scores from 2020 to 2022.Implementation:Virtual Education Huddles were provided daily, biweekly, and weekly to support Survey Readiness, our transition to a new electronic medical record system, and patient and staff safety. Obstacles included connectivity issues and time constraints with staff schedules. Virtual Education Huddles offer opportunities to provide education quickly to a large audience.Results/DiscussionVirtual Education Huddles provided our agency with a platform to prepare for a successful Joint Commission survey, provide real-time education and feedback with our new electronic medical record system, and contribute to improved Culture of Safety Survey results. We continue to provide 3 Virtual Education Huddles each month.

Evaluation: Complete Poster Evaluation