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With the long-term care sector’s resource constraints, the need for simple and effective tools is imperative. Now, more than ever, evidence-based tools at the point of care are key to supporting a resident population that is becoming increasingly acute.

That’s where our easy-to-use, specialized solutions for long-term care come in.

For years, our Clinical Support Tools (CSTs) have been integral to helping long-term care homes provide effective, standardized care. CSTs are designed to help staff confidently assess and manage a resident’s health conditions by guiding them through a series of standardized, evidence-based questions, which contain embedded clinical suggestions to remind nurses of leading practices to support clinical decisions. The streamlined assessments are designed to avoid document duplication and build staff capacity. 

Simple, straightforward tools 

Recently, Think has been working closely with ConMed Health Care Group, a chain of seniors care homes with seven locations in Ontario, to implement our library of CSTs.  

To ensure staff adoption, ConMed prioritized rolling out the updated Wound Assessment CST. Within the first year of implementation, ConMed submitted more than 10,000 Wound CSTs and noticed a significant improvement in wound diagnosis and treatment process; over a six-month period, residents experienced nearly a 50 percent reduction in wounds. 

Pablo Chaves, Health Informatics Coordinator at ConMed Health Care Group, noted that there was a marked difference in clinician confidence when assessing residents. “[The Wound CST has] helped nurses with a strong background in wound care feel more confident in their decisions, especially those that are based on wound progression,” Chaves said. He added that staff were also appreciative that CSTs can be divided by wound type, making it much easier to find and track wounds, especially for residents with multiple types. 

“Having a pathway for the staff to follow that not only includes when to do things, but also when not to do them is one of the most effective teaching methods I have used.”

Think’s robust training resources were also critical to expediting adoption of the CSTs across all ConMed locations. As additional tools were implemented, Chaves commented that “one of the most impactful things with the CSTs was how simple and easy to follow they felt from the start. They were easy to use, intuitive, and streamlined so it never felt like I was documenting the same information twice, or that I was documenting anything not relevant to the tool,” said Chaves. 

Introducing new tools and technology in the workplace is never without challenges, but Chaves believes it was the simplicity of use that helped get staff across the organization on board quickly. “Rolling out the CSTs across seven homes, I expected to hear pushback from some managers about the changes. What I did hear was minimal and it came down to small details,” he said. “I think that the combination of workflows and how streamlined the CSTs are made it a smooth transition for everyone.”

Looking ahead

Thanks to the success of the Wound Assessment, ConMed is eager to utilize the additional CSTs to help staff assess and treat health issues experienced by residents and further improve the quality and consistency of care across homes.  

“The [customizable] workflows are so helpful, especially since they are adjusted to our facilities’ requirements,” Chaves said. “Having a pathway for the staff to follow that not only includes when to do things, but also when not to do them is one of the most effective teaching methods I have used.”

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Interested to learn how CSTs can help standardize and improve care in your long-term care facility? Book your personalized demo today to get started.