Video Success Story- Bridget Lai-Creative for Blog-MD-FINAL (1)

How Video Learning created lifesaving training with HealthStream’s Media Center

June 20, 2023
June 20, 2023

When the pandemic hit, hospitals were faced with endless challenges and Hawaii had among the most stringent lockdown requirements in the country. This made in-person training at Hawai’i Pacific Health nearly impossible, and they needed a way to continue to train staff efficiently and effectively. 

Hawai’i Pacific Health was able to address their training needs and save 13 lives thanks to their nimble approach to training with the use of HealthStream's Media Center. Recently, HealthStream’s Dan Pawlus sat down with Hawai’i Pacific Health’s Bridget Lai to learn more about how the health system implemented to solve an urgent training need during the pandemic.

 

Hawai’i Pacific Health and HealthStream

Lai shared that Hawai’i Pacific Health is a four-hospital system with more than 70 access points for patients throughout the islands. The system also has a commitment to taking care of the community and focuses on some of the social determinants of health such as food security and literacy. Lai has been at Hawai’i Pacific Health for 19 years and has spent 14 of those years in an education role.

Hawai’i Pacific Health has been with HealthStream since 2007 and Lai has served as administrator since 2008. She shared that the organization uses the learning solution as well as ChecklistClinical Competency, and HealthStream’s Nurse Residency program. Recently, they have also begun to use HealthStream’s Media Center.

 

The Need for a Video Solution

Lai and her team had noticed an increase in the use of videos for learning and the need to provide video training for her staff. “We know that this is a really good way to reach people. It allows us to get a lot of information out to people that they can access at a time and place of their choosing, thus eliminating the challenges associated with scheduling classroom training,” said Lai.

Initially, Lai was creating the video content on her own and using the organization’s intranet to deliver that content. The solution was not ideal. The content was not searchable which resulted in users having to navigate to as many as seven different places to find the video that they needed. In addition, there was no way to track employee completions on these videos.

Further complicating the situation at hand was the stringent restrictions that the state was facing at the height of the lockdown. Lai shared that the state of Hawai’i had imposed some particularly stringent lockdown rules. In addition to the prohibitions against gathering in large groups, the hospital was faced with a high patient census that made it impossible to sponsor in-person training. 

 

Implementing a New Video Solution

Prior to the pandemic Hawai’i Pacific Health had an ECMO training program for their neonatal and pediatric services. But, with the emergence of COVID-19, they saw the potential need for adult ECMO. At the time the treatment was quite limited as it was offered at just one facility on the island.

Lai knew that she needed a better solution for the organization’s video education needs for ECMO training and selected HealthStream’s Media Center to help create better more searchable and trackable content. Once the decision to switch was made, Lai was able to implement the program and begin developing content. The initial efforts were to move from their homegrown solution and implement the use of Media Center, the program was up and running in three weeks with life-saving results within 8 months of implementation. 

 

Leveraging a Video Solution at a Critical Time

Lai needed a versatile solution that would be able to deliver high-level content and validate learner competency and recognized Media Center as a great way to accomplish this. She chose to divide the content into short chapters to best meet the needs of adult learners. Each chapter was followed by a one-hour live, online question and answer session. The final step was conducted in-person and included a simulation session. Prior to the pandemic, this same training would have required two full days of classroom training that, even before the pandemic, was difficult to accomplish as classroom space was difficult to come by and staff schedules were difficult to rearrange for the purposes of instruction.

 

Implementing a Video Solution – The Results

Lai reported that the time savings and freed-up classroom space were invaluable, both on the island and in various healthcare organizations. In addition, the staff were pleased with the ability to complete the training at a time, place and pace that worked well for them. Moreover, they were able to provide a service to patients that previously was not available. 

Lai acknowledges that healthcare providers are being asked to do more, at a faster pace, with fewer resources. That frequently translates to a need to train staff quickly. “The Media Center has allowed us to deliver content in a way that is meaningful, where we can still validate the learning, but at the same time, not require them to come and sit in a classroom,” said Lai. The content can also be quickly accessed on the unit, if necessary.

While there were many positive outcomes as a result of the implementation of HealthStream’s Media Center, there were 13 outcomes that stood out from the rest. Hawai'i Pacific Health was able to save 13 lives due to the trained staff, who were able to provide treatment to patients in need. Without their assistance, these individuals would not have had access to care.