AdventHealth has announced preliminary results of a pilot project which the providers hope could revolutionize the patient care model across the country. Under the pilot, AdventHealth says nurses are freed from onerous paperwork, allowing them to spend more time focusing on patients and their needs.
In the first year of the pilot, staff responsiveness (a measurement of the patient experience) improved by 12 percent, lab turnaround time improved by 13 percent and 73 percent of nurses said they feel they are able to spend more time with patients when assisted by a CTA.
Nurses have been paired with a Care Team Assistant (CTA). The CTA’s duties are similar to a patient care technician but will have the additional responsibility of documenting patients’ care under a nurse’s supervision. By relieving nurses of heavy documentation responsibility, they can spend more quality time with patients and play a more active role in patients’ care.
“This pilot is helping me be the type of nurse that I dreamed of,” said Christine Reyes, a registered nurse at AdventHealth Altamonte Springs. “I became a nurse because I wanted to show compassion to people who need it most, and this pilot is allowing me to do that even more.”
The initial pilot began in 2018 and is being tested at select units in AdventHealth’s Central Florida division. AdventHealth engaged CareThrough, a HealthChannels company, and sister company ScribeAmerica, which provides the scribe workforce in AdventHealth’s emergency departments. CareThrough is providing training and assistance with developing the CTA role.
“With the alarming rate of nurse burnout, compassion fatigue, and a workforce shortage predicted to last through 2030, supporting nurses has become a healthcare imperative,” said Kyle Cooksey, President of CareThrough. “AdventHealth is proactively creating a culture of engaged nurses. The pilot aligns with our mission to reduce burnout and strengthen patient care.”
AdventHealth says it plans to build on the success of the pilot and expand the program to other units.
