“NICHE is unlike other programs in that it does not prescribe how institutions should modify geriatric care; rather, it provides the materials and services necessary to stimulate and support the planning and implementation process. The new communication tools we deployed with TSI brought a more powerful focus and response to this effort.”
NICHE
Case Study: Building a strategic partnership to drive change in the care of older adult hospital patients.
Challenge: Achieve systemic nursing change through education that benefits hospitalized older adult patients.
Tactics
- Frequent communication efforts and annual conference promotes awareness and acceptance of need to improve the quality of care for older adult hospital patients
- Renovated the NICHE website and created new site content that better engaged healthcare professional and healthcare consumer audiences
- Launch re-designed monthly e-newsletter as a topic brief highlighting a geriatric syndrome that includes all NICHE tools and resources available for this syndrome
- Worked with members to create "NICHE Solutions," a series of case histories to highlight member innovations, promote networking among members and provide single site data to illustrate effectiveness of the NICHE program
Results
- Over 700 existing and prospective NICHE (Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders) hospitals motivated to drive progress
- More than 57,000 nurses and other healthcare professionals on the frontlines engaged in frequent communications
- Increased desire for improving approach to caring for older adult patients among target audience and across the continuum
- Nurses-teaching-nurses concept drives geriatric education