Tahoe Forest Health System introduces new neonatal resuscitation quality improvement program
Program elevates education and training, verifies neonatal resuscitation competence
TRUCKEE, Calif., Jan. 26, 2022 – Today, Tahoe Forest Health System unveiled a new neonatal resuscitation quality improvement program to help its clinical providers elevate the delivery of newborn emergency care. The Joseph Family Center for Women and Newborn Care introduced RQI® for NRP® (Neonatal Resuscitation Program®), a first-ever solution that is rooted in the Resuscitation Quality Improvement® Program (RQI) and focuses on the most important skill of neonatal resuscitation: positive pressure ventilation.
Last June, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) launched the 8th Edition of its internationally recognized Neonatal Resuscitation Program, developed in 1987 by the AAP and the American Heart Association®. This edition of NRP also highlights a strategic alliance with RQI Partners, a partnership between and service provider for the American Heart Association and Laerdal Medical, to develop improved educational solutions for neonatal resuscitation training, with RQI for NRP being a focal point of this new relationship.
“We are excited to be one of the first systems in the U.S. to add RQI for NRP to our resuscitation education and training offerings, which complements our 2016 adoption of the legacy RQI program,” said Harry Weis, president and CEO of Tahoe Forest Health System. “Our system continues to stand at the forefront and embrace innovative training technologies. This novel, quality improvement program’s design affords frequency, accessibility and efficiency to master, maintain and verify competence in positive pressure ventilation — the single most, impactful intervention for newborns needing resuscitation. Our clinical providers will be better positioned to give our most precious patients the best chance of survival and ultimately improve patient care and outcomes.”
The Joseph Family Center for Women and Newborn Care has 45 clinicians enrolled in RQI for NRP. These learners receive course instruction on a neonatal simulator that is placed at the point of care for 24/7 availability, a key attribute of the RQI program. Co-developed by the American Heart Association and Laerdal Medical in 2015, RQI is a self-directed, simulation-based performance, mastery learning and quality improvement program for healthcare professionals that offers “low-dose, high-frequency” hands-on learning sessions through quarterly CPR skills practice coupled with real-time feedback, debriefing and analytics.
As one of the more than 1,000 hospitals nationwide and outside the country that currently use RQI to advance resuscitation education, the center’s healthcare professionals will also benefit from the program’s True Adaptive™ learning design. Leveraging artificial intelligence, courses offer personalized instruction tailored to and driven by individual needs, knowledge, actions and performance.
“People absorb and process information and learn differently,” Harry Weis, president and CEO of Tahoe Forest Health System, said. “RQI for NRP accommodates and adjusts to the varying degrees of resuscitation competence; its adaptive learning platform will maximize each healthcare professional’s learning potential, increase knowledge retention and place them on a unique path to establish a new standard in emergency care.”
For more information about RQI for NRP, visit www.rqipartners.com/nrp. Visit www.tfhd.com for information on Tahoe Forest Health System and the Joseph Family Center for Women and Newborn Care.
About Tahoe Forest Health System
Tahoe Forest Health System, which includes Tahoe Forest Hospital in Truckee, Calif., and Incline Village Community Hospital in Incline Village, Nev., offers 24-hour emergency care, urgent care, primary and specialty healthcare clinics, including Tahoe Forest Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, Commission on Cancer (COC) accredited cancer center, the Gene Upshaw Memorial Tahoe Forest Cancer Center and the Joseph Family Center for Women and Newborn Care. With a strong focus on high-quality patient care, community collaboration, clinical excellence and innovation, Tahoe Forest Health System is a UC Davis Rural Center of Excellence. For a complete list of physician specialties and services, visit www.tfhd.com.
About the American Academy of Pediatrics
The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults. For more information, visit www.aap.org.
About the American Heart Association
The American Heart Association is a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. We are dedicated to ensuring equitable health in all communities. Through collaboration with numerous organizations, and powered by millions of volunteers, we fund innovative research, advocate for the public’s health and share lifesaving resources. The Dallas-based organization has been a leading source of health information for nearly a century. Connect with us on heart.org, Facebook, Twitter or by calling +1 800-AHA-USA1.
About Laerdal Medical
Laerdal is dedicated to our mission of helping save lives. For more than 60 years, Laerdal has remained a world leader in healthcare education, training and therapy solutions. Laerdal develops products, programs and digital solutions designed to increase survival and improve patient outcomes. By implementing evidence-based solutions within the areas of resuscitation, patient safety and global health, we address the changing needs of healthcare organizations and help build competence of healthcare providers, educators and lay rescuers. Together with our partners, we believe we can help save one million more lives, every year. Laerdal is a global company in 25 countries worldwide with the head office located in Stavanger, Norway. For more information, visit www.laerdal.com.
About RQI Partners LLC
RQI Partners LLC is a partnership between the American Heart Association and Laerdal Medical, positioning the organizations to deliver innovative solutions that accelerate the impact of their lifesaving mission. The company blends the AHA’s leadership in science and resuscitation education with Laerdal’s expertise in technology and implementation to deliver impactful and innovative resuscitation quality improvement programs. For more information, visit www.rqipartners.com and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.
For Media Inquiries, contact:
Paige Thomason
Director of Marketing and Communications, Tahoe Forest Health System
(530) 582-6290
pthomason@tfhd.com
