Wncvahcs runs through two va telestroke program simulations | va asheville health care | veterans affairs

What to Know: Telestroke is the virtual examination of a suspected stroke patient using video teleconference, to review imaging of the affected area; evaluation using the NIH Stroke Scale;

and recommendation for or against the administration of a clot-busting drug. Charles George VA medical Center personnel spent this week training on the VA Telestroke Program.  On-site

providers initiate the process by engaging a telestroke neurologist when their patient has stroke symptoms. They use Facetime to discuss the case at the patient’s bedside, including the

patient, caregiver, and the on-site providers. Carlin Smith, a nurse educator at CGVAMC said training will take place both virtually and with a hands-on simulation. “In preparation to join

The VA National Telestroke Program (NTSP), the NTSP Team in partnership with SimLEARN nurse faculty provided two-and-a-half days of training to our facility during the week of October 25th,

2021,” Smith said. “On Oct. 28, there were two different simulation events involving a patient with stroke symptoms – one simulation occurred in the Emergency Department, and the other event

took place in the Intensive Care Setting.” Both simulations included mobile technology with simulation with actual patient monitors. Each simulation began with initial stroke symptoms and

communication with the Telestroke Neurologist, ultimately resulting in medication administration after labs/CT scan are simulated. Kathy Daley, CNS, co-chair of the Stroke Workgroup, who has

been with the project since its inception at CGVAMC, explained that all emergency department and intensive care providers and registered nurses, along with hospitalists, must complete

prerequisite training for the simulation events. “Our facility will continue to have ongoing simulation requirements in the Telestroke program,” Daley said. Smith said the hands-on portion

was extremely useful. “Simulation in healthcare provides a safe learning environment where clinicians are able to test new and old clinical processes and perfect them in a safe environment

prior to contact with patients,” Smith said. Brittany Brannigan, CGVAMC Facility Telehealth Coordinator, said the program adds to the hospital’s ability to use technology in a way that’s

good for our Veterans. “Implementing Telehealth’s National Tele-Stroke program ensures that we can bring the right healthcare at the right time for our nation’s Veterans using cutting edge

Telehealth Technologies,” she said. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, when a patient having a stroke arrives at the emergency room within three hours of their

first symptoms, they often have less disability than those who received delayed care. VA’s Telestroke program currently offers services at 52 VA Medical Centers and Charles George VA Medical

Center will soon join them. The program began in 2017 and more than 5,000 Veterans have reaped the benefits of its care.