Lacking the resources to grow a simulation program on their own, Pullman Regional Hospital decided to partner with Laerdal to drive their simulation aspirations forward.

Pullman Regional Hospital in Pullman, WA recognizes the importance of using simulation to prepare their providers to deliver safe, effective patient care. For over 15 years, they’ve utilized simulation to train their providers for emergencies that they don’t see every day in their small, critical access hospital.

“We do a lot of OB, but we don’t always have those OB complications that require nurses and physicians to be able to respond like it’s something they do every day,” explains Jeannie Eylar, MSN, Chief Nursing Officer at Pullman. “So simulation is key for that.”

"We know that we need to be ready to respond as quickly and effectively as possible – but we don’t have the actual events happen to practice it. Simulation gives you that safe place to practice it [and] learn how we need to do better on all of those high-risk, low-volume kinds of patient care emergencies that happen in every hospital – big or small."

- Jeannie Eylar, MSN
Chief Nursing Officer, Pullman Regional Hospital

But as the hospital’s services have expanded and with healthcare becoming more complex, they were finding it more and more difficult to keep their manikins up to date and train staff to run simulations. 
 
Yet they had recently started a residency program with Washington State University, and both organizations were interested in expanding their simulation program to provide more learning opportunities for staff. 
 
Initially, they planned to invest in a suite of new manikins – but the capital outlay was a hurdle. “Buying a family suite of manikins is extremely expensive – so I did have concerns,” explains Amber Roberts, MSN, RN, Hospital Education Coordinator at Pullman.

Faced with the obstacles of the cost and time associated with growing a simulation program but still determined to drive their simulation initiatives forward, Amber and Jeannie decided to try a different approach that would allow them to circumvent these challenges: partnering with Laerdal Medical through the Accelerate program. 
 
Through this turnkey program, Laerdal would bring simulators, operators, and expert-validated scenario content directly to Pullman – providing everything needed to conduct a training session. The Laerdal team would also capture key performance data throughout the training.  
 
Amber and Jeannie chose a postpartum hemorrhage drill scenario for their test run of Accelerate. The performance data captured would include ACOG-aligned steps like performing uterine massage and ordering two uterotonics, as well as other key actions like ordering and receiving blood from the lab. Actions would be measured against time and the amount of blood lost. Having objective, detailed data would help identify areas the staff could improve in managing this low-frequency, high-acuity maternal emergency.

“It was extremely well received,” Amber shares. “The physicians, the nurses, RT, pharmacy – everybody involved was absolutely, completely impressed.”

“I sat in, observed, and was just totally impressed with our staff and our physicians being able to really focus on what would you do in an emergency situation like this,” adds Jeannie.

The performance data from the postpartum hemorrhage simulation scenario uncovered that there was room for improvement in the amount of time it was taking to get blood from the blood bank. This is an issue that exists in many hospitals.

“We were pretty unaware of why this was happening,” Amber tells us. But having objective data specific to their hospital gave them pathways to focus on in their Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement (QAPI) program. Using the data, they were able to set goals, make improvements, and then have Laerdal return for another Accelerate session to help them measure their progress a few months later.

The results were remarkable.

"Six months later, when we did a pediatric trauma [sim] and needed to order blood, the difference of how quickly we were getting the blood was amazing to see. And it was because of that sim, and those process changes we made, that made the difference."

- Amber Roberts, MSN, RN
Hospital Education Coordinator, Pullman Regional Hospital

Their training efforts in obstetrics had transferred to pediatrics – indicating that the positive improvements were spreading across multiple areas of the hospital.

Having access to benchmarking data from before and after their quality improvement efforts served as tangible evidence of the ROI they’d gotten out of the Accelerate program.

After their success with the first Accelerate session, Amber and Jeannie knew they wanted to keep the partnership with Laerdal going. They’ve since invited Laerdal back to Pullman for additional sessions for training in different areas of the hospital. This includes two pediatric trainings, including a pediatric trauma, and a post-operative orthopedic complication.

Currently, they’re getting ready to run their fifth Accelerate session – their second training focused on obstetrics. “I’m so excited to do another OB simulation,” Amber shares. “I’m really hoping that we improved on our team communication – because we’ve really been pushing the training on that.”

Looking ahead, they’re planning several more Accelerate sessions in the coming year, including pediatrics, Med-Surg, ICU, OR, and ED.

“As I’ve gotten to know the [Laerdal] team, it’s becoming like a well-oiled machine,” Amber says. “The equipment comes … we meet the day before, set everything up. Then the next morning … off we go. The team is just so easy to work with and working with the same staff over and over again has created a lot of trust. You know your people – and there’s some safety and comfort in that.”

“We absolutely adore this program,” Amber shares. “And we’re so fortunate to have it.”

We asked Amber to share some specifics and practical tips for how she got buy-in from leadership and found success with Accelerate at Pullman. 

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