Team Pulsara

EDITOR'S NOTE: Special thanks to Jessie Senini for writing today's blog post. You can connect with her on LinkedIn. 

It’s almost a guarantee these days …

As I aimlessly wander around a store checking window shopping for things I don’t need, I overhear other people around me uttering under their breath, “Does this spark joy?”

Now if you have no idea where that expression comes from, then you need to get yourself caught up on the Art of KonMari AKA the Tidying Up craze that is sweeping the world!

For someone as obsessively tidy and clean as myself, seeing others discover the oh-so-lovely principles of a decluttered life … well it’s like finally getting to scratch an unbelievable itch. Marie Kondo — an organizing guru — has worked her way into the homes of millions of people, sparking a wave of organizing and decluttering that is literally changing people's lives.

And I love it! (As do a number of our own OCD Pulsara team members. Check our our CMO’s sock and t-shirt drawers!) 

So what on Earth does this have to do with Pulsara?  

EDITOR'S NOTE: Special thanks to Justin Baker for writing today's blog post. You can connect with him on LinkedIn. 

While the industry has grown and improved thanks to advances in technology and new procedures, one thing that continues to plague the EMS profession is shortage of staff -- and this particularly holds true in areas that depend on volunteers.

Although EMS continues to grow and evolve as a nationally recognized profession, the journey has not been without hiccups. With the rollout of the accreditation rule for EMS programs in the State of Texas, which requires EMS programs to be tied to a college for the Paramedic Certification, the issue has only become more apparent. Now, these programs are requiring students to obtain college degrees to receive their paramedic certification.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Special thanks to Courtney Chumley, FACPE, for writing today's blog post. You can connect with her on LinkedIn. 

Every first responder has gone through EMT and/or Paramedic school and remembers the very short section that covered how to explain to a family that their loved one has died. “Don’t use vague words. Make sure you use 'has died' and 'is dead.'” But after 20 years of field experience, that section did not equip us with nearly enough information to help these family members cope far into the future.

Throughout my career, I have spoken with many people who have suffered a sudden loss. I have heard the same information from them: they didn’t know what was going on. No one was talking to them and letting them be a part of the process. The family and bystanders wonder if they could have done more to help. Then, they wonder what happens next.

There was a turning point in my career 12 years ago where I was on-scene at an unexpected cardiac arrest in a 28-year-old male. He had the flu for a few days and collapsed in front of his young wife. We were doing our best to resuscitate him, when I heard his wife ask “I don’t know if any of you believe in God but can someone please pray with him real quick?” Before I could say a word back, someone else on scene replied “we don’t have time for that right now.”  To this day, I am still bothered by that momentary lack of compassion. All that was requested of us was to say a few silent words to him on behalf of her beliefs to help bring just a moment of comfort and hope to a terrifying situation. 

EDITOR'S NOTE: Special thanks to Kate Leatherby for writing today's blog post. You can connect with her on LinkedIn. 

__

There are several clinical studies of elderly populations that suffer from Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia which show that familiar and pleasant music can decrease agitation, reduce depression, increase movement and sociability, as well as improve cognitive ability and decrease problem behaviors BETTER than medicine.  Recently, I was privileged to encounter this phenomenon up close and in person.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a fan of music. I spent many years playing my own music, and I’ve spent thousands of hours at music festivals and live shows, connecting with the energy in each note. As a kid, I remember sitting in the backseat of my mom’s car and singing along to all of her favorite artists she’d play over and over on cassette tapes.

Anytime I hear those songs now, I remember what it felt like to sing them with my mom as we cruised along the roadways of southwestern Pennsylvania. I can vividly recall the carefree feeling, the happiness, the smiles, and most of all how the music would flow through us, deepening our mother-daughter bond with each note.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Thanks to our guest blogger this week, Rommie L. Duckworth, BS, LP. Rom is a dedicated emergency responder and award-winning educator with more than twenty-five years of experience working in career and volunteer fire departments, hospital health care systems, and public and private emergency services. Currently a career fire captain and paramedic EMS coordinator, Rom is an emergency services advocate, and contributor to research, magazines and textbooks on topics of leadership, emergency operations, and educational methodology. Rom is a frequent speaker at conferences and symposia around the world and can be reached via RescueDigest.com.

--

EDITOR'S NOTE: Special thanks to our guest blogger, Lee Varner, MSEMS, EMT-P, CPPS. Lee is the Director of the Center for Patient Safety, and has over 20 years of experience in transformational leadership and patient safety to provide consultation and educational services for improving performance effectiveness, quality initiatives, healthcare best practices, just culture training and patient safety strategies. 

__

In your organization, are you proactive or reactive about clinical errors?  Isn’t time you develop a plan to reduce preventable patient harm?

It’s been roughly 20 years since the Institute of Medicine published the report “To Err is Human,” which identified that our nation’s healthcare system was harming patients.  It’s also been about 7 years since the release of the National EMS Culture of Safety report which discussed similar concerns with EMS (Emergency Medical Services).  While there are many differences between the 2 reports, and the clinical settings between EMS and hospitals, there are also many commonalities and parallels between both.  

EDITOR'S NOTE: Special thanks to Justin Baker for writing today's blog post. You can connect with him on LinkedIn. 

Mental health issues remain a concerning problem that plague first responders. As we continue to look at the issue as a whole, the motto has always been to sweep it under the rug and not let fellow coworkers know that something bothered you. It is time that we get past this "tough" exterior, and start taking care of ourselves.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Special thanks to Courtney Chumley, FACPE, for writing today's blog post. You can connect with her on LinkedIn. 

Eighteen years ago, I was a brand new paramedic. My boots were un-scuffed and my uniform shirt was spotless. I was ready to be a hero. But then I made my first breathing problems call and my patient had both a history of CHF and COPD and I couldn’t hear her lung sounds. I picked the protocol I thought best and took her to the hospital. 

On arrival, Dr. Robert Sheppard walked into the room as I was giving report and promptly starts ordering everything from the protocol I didn’t choose. He probably saw the look on my face and my heart sinking, and he said “come here with me.” He took me out of the room into the empty radiology hallway and told me “you missed it.” I told him I couldn’t hear her lung sounds and he responded, “You didn’t have to hear her lungs… you didn’t listen to everything else her body was trying to tell you. You were too focused on one thing. Don’t miss it again.” He smiled and he walked back into the room to take care of the patient. That two minutes he took out of his day to pull me aside and teach me instead of doing it in front of everyone in the room has impacted my life to this day. 

This morning, Montana High Tech Business Alliance sent out a press release stating that: 

"High-tech companies continue to be an important component of Montana’s economy, generating more than $2 billion in revenue in 2018 and growing at rates up to nine times faster than the statewide economy, according to a recent study conducted by the University of Montana Bureau of Business and Economic Research. According to the study, high tech pays more than twice the median earning per Montana worker and represents the third highest-paying industry in Montana. 

EDITOR'S NOTE: Special thanks to Wes Gilbert for writing today's blog post. You can connect with him on LinkedIn. 

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” -Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

It’s probably safe to assume that by the time most Americans complete their high school education they are at least somewhat familiar with the above phrase from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Basically, Juliet tells Romeo that a name is an artificial and meaningless convention. While this can and does hold truth in some realms, I invite you to briefly explore with me a different take on this phrase.

What’s in a name? To be called a public servant is a very honorable and noble thing. Whether you’re a police officer, firefighter, or EMS provider, you are a public servant by both legal and popular definition. But when was the last time you put some thought into this label?

EDITOR'S NOTE: Special thanks to Scott Stanley for writing today's blog post. You can connect with him on LinkedIn. 

The secret to effective communication is knowing how and when to share your message. This is something that, after 20 years of marriage, I am finally starting to grasp the concept of.

Let me explain: When we communicate with others, we can do so in two ways -- in real-time (synchronously), or we can deliver a message that can be consumed by the recipient when it is convenient for them, (asynchronously).

For instance, I have found that when communicating with my wife about an injury to one of my children, a phone call, no matter what time of day or night, is warranted. Information is shared between us that is used to make decisions in the care and treatment of those injuries, and an action plan is set in place quickly. This real-time, synchronous communication lets us be as efficient as possible under time-sensitive conditions. 

EDITOR'S NOTE: Special thanks to Courtney Chumley, FACPE, for writing today's blog post. You can connect with her on LinkedIn. 

Picture this: You receive a 911 call for chest pain, and on arrival you are quick to identify that your patient is having a STEMI. You quickly load the patient into the medic unit and then notify the receiving facility you are on the way. You find out later that your patient went to the cath lab and is now in recovery doing well. Job well done….or was it?

EDITOR'S NOTE: Special thanks to Kate Leatherby for writing today's blog post. You can connect with her on LinkedIn. 

__

You are probably aware that some of the most important forms of communication are non-verbal. Shared cues between people, facial expressions, gestures, tone of voice, and even our posture communicate important information to those around us.  Recent research shows that mindfulness and compassion-based communication strategies can improve communication between patients and healthcare practitioners, which is one of the most important components to enhancing the patient experience.  

EDITOR'S NOTE: Special thanks to Justin Baker for writing today's blog post. You can connect with him on LinkedIn. 

While working with Pulsara and our prospects, it has become apparent to me that some places don’t recognize that they have a need for modern communication technology or that it can improve the quality of their patient care. Some facilities or clients simply do not believe that by continuing to rely on pagers, fax machines, radios, etc. they are contributing to delays in care for their most critically ill patients.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Special thanks to Scott Then for writing today's blog post. You can connect with him on LinkedIn.

As Paramedics, where do we belong? Are we Emergency Services, working in the worst of the worst conditions, or are we healthcare providers, where our counterparts are the Nursing and Physician staff that we interact with everyday?

It might seem a trivial thing to the outside world, but in an environment where support and camaraderie is essential, paramedics rely on each other for finding ways to best apply the advancing techniques and technologies of healthcare and incorporating them into our education and execution out in the field. These technologies and changing philosophies are thrown at prehospital providers many times without any knowledge of what their success will be. “Load and Go,” or “Stay and Play,” whatever the innovation is, we are the guinea pigs of healthcare. As such, it is incumbent upon the prehospital provider to do everything within his power to advance our industry and claim our place in the continuum of care from home to hospital. 

BOZEMAN, MONT. -- FEBRUARY 12, 2019 -- Pulsara, the premier real-time team communication platform that connects clinicians across entire regions, is delighted to announce Dale Pearson as its new President.

Dale is a well-respected business leader with a wealth of experience in healthcare SaaS companies. He was the co-founder, CEO, and Chairman of Sansio, which developed and supported a proprietary homecare software solution, HomeSolutions, and an emergency medical services data collection, reporting, and medical billing system, HealthEMS. Starting with a staff of two, Dale organized a fully functional, highly efficient, profitable business with a team that eventually consisted of over 70 employees when acquired by Physio-Control in 2014.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Special thanks to Jeff Jensen for writing today's blog post. You can connect with him on LinkedIn. 

Recently, NAEMSP published a study on the importance of the quality of EMS communication handoff during pediatric resuscitations. As quoted in the study, they state “The Joint Commission has identified ineffective handoff communication as a contributing factor in 80% of serious medical errors. The quality of handoff communication from EMS to ED teams for critically ill pediatric patients needs further exploration.”