Skyscape Blog – Page 8 – Clinical Knowledge & Communication

Skyscape Nursing Constellation Plus Vs. Nursing Central

Nurses have played an important role throughout history, be it in the emergency room, maternity ward, at the patients home or in the jungles of far off continents. With so many specialties and programs for modern nurses to choose from, now more than ever their schooling is at the forefront of the job.

Schools across the nation have one clear cut goal… prepare their future nurses for a long and successful career. Accomplishing this is often a combination of great teachers, class hours, labs, on the job training and so much more. A key component to each of these ingredients are the proper resource/reference books.

Since reference books are so important to each step of nursing school, and in many cases throughout the future career of the nurse, schools often tend to have preferences on established and proven books. F.A Davis Company is known as one of the leaders in the nursing industry for schooling and beyond with their many essential resources.

While you can require your students to purchase each individual resource separately, this can be a large financial burden on these young adults. Do not fret! Skyscape has put together a suite of 7 essential mobile nursing references for your young students. By creating this suite we hope to offer the most savings along with the easiest and most convenient way to purchase.

Introducing Nursing Constellation Plus

Davis’s Drug Guide for Nurses
Davis’s Comprehensive Handbook of Laboratory and Diagnostic Tests with Nursing Implications
Diseases and Disorders: A Nursing Therapeutics Manuel
Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary
Skycape Calculator Plus Medical Calculator
RNotes: Nurse’s Clinical Pocket Guide
MedBeats

We offer this suite of references for 30% off the regular individual prices. So instead of your students paying around $260 for the individual titles they can get them all for $179.95.

Making Your Choice

If you happen to be in the midst of making the choice for your students you may find yourself overwhelmed by the various options. Either requiring the individual titles or finding a great package for your students, you want to do what is best for everyone.

In the suite/package option you will find two leaders in the essential F.A. Davis nursing reference category: Skyscape Nursing Constellation Plus and Nursing Central by Unbound.

Using this table as a high level overview you can see the prices and what is included in each suite. While Skyscape Nursing Constellation Plus cost $10 more than Nursing Central, you can see that NCP (Nursing Constellation Plus) includes an additional 2 references valued at over $50 individually. A key difference between the suites in that the references in NCP are available to you forever once you buy them. Opposed to Nursing Central, where you only have access to the references for 1 year from the date of purchase. This fact alone could be enough to sway you in one direction or the other, but to truly understand the value of NCP you’ll have to explore the various resources and tools in the suite.

Resources and Tools in Skyscape Nursing Constellation Plus

Smartsearch is a dynamic search across all Skyscape references. Choosing to search for a certain drug or disease for example will automatically yield a list showing the topics and resources it is referenced in. This allows you to search you whole library of books at one time.

Smartlink automatically links the current topic with related information in other Skyscape products.

Dedicated Customer Support to assist with your various needs including installations, hardware problems, billing and many more questions.

Faculty & Student Training is offered to help guide you through any questions or concerns you might have. You will learn the ins and outs of using your references to their greatest potential and have the opportunity to explore the many other services offer by Skyscape to improve your students lives through nursing school.

Any Questions?

While there is a lot of information packed in above you still may have questions. If you are interested in learning more or would like to know the steps to implement NCP into your curriculum you can contact us below.

Skyscape Medpresso, Inc.
360 Church St., Suite 110
Northborough, MA 01532
USA
Phone: 508-299-3000
Fax: 978-389-0416
Email: info@skyscape.com

How to Thrive, not Merely Survive as a Nursing Student

Presented by:
Keith Rischer, MA, RN, CEN, CCRN
A practicing nurse for 30+ years and nurse educator
Author and blogger KeithRN.com.

Webinar How to THRIVE, not Merely Survive as a Nursing Student Webinar focuses on:

Nursing – a profession worth sacrificing/giving your all
Steps to Success: What you must bring & what you must know to be successful.

Get FREE book for your smartphone: Do you Have What it Takes to be a Nurse

Clinical Log aka nTrack – HIPAA Compliant Tool

Students need to be adequately prepared for the real-life clinical environment. Paper based clinical logs can get lost and don’t offer aggregate reporting.

Developed in collaboration with pre-licensure and graduate nursing programs, nTrack allows students to track their clinical experience and patient encounters. Additionally they can track time spent with each patient and at clinical site.

nTrack App is part of the nTrack Clinical Log system, which can be customized and deployed at your institution.

Faculty Benefits:

It’s better than a paper Blue book – our electronic log will reduce your workload by allowing you to quickly review students’ clinical logs and provide feedback online
Ability to provide ongoing feedback throughout each course
Track clinical experiences and check-offs throughout students education
View individual’s performance or aggregate data across the program
Easy access to data required for program accreditation
Documentation on individual’s performance for credits and graduation requirements

Student Benefits:

Access to vital nursing information at the point of care
Receive faculty feedback in near real-time
Gain experience entering data into an EHR-like system
Documentation for portfolios when applying for employment

Try the free app and contact us to find out how easy it is to customize the content and adopt the system in your curriculum.

Snapword – Gamification of Nursing and Medical Education

Gamification of education – Is it a buzz or the way millennials learn, retain and recall knowledge?

Why gaming in eLearning?

Games are fun, have levels, tolerate failure, are competitive, award points and badges
Games on mobile devices offer flexible learning environment
Self paced with instant feedback

Skyscape has developed Snap Word gaming platform which includes a free APP with:

Cue cards and answers that are grouped into levels and modules
Coins are earned or traded for hints and certificates awarded at completion of each level

Use your imagination to create your game cards and distribute to student group(s). Get started with our library that includes:

500+ skeletal, muscular and organ systems images
Add calculations, clinical scenarios or NCLEX questions

We’ve built the framework but the possibilities are endless.

Try the free app and contact us to discuss how we can work together to gamify the classroom.

Did someone say “Delightful”?

In today’s world there are far too many mobile apps. It is very difficult to deploy an app that will attract users’ attention. It is even harder to release something that will make its way among all others up to the top successfully. Definitely, one could say that a secret ingredient that turns simple apps to outstanding apps is the customization touches that developers and designers apply to even smallest details that usually most programmers don’t deal with.

But before anyone can claim to add “delight”, one needs to get three fundamentals of the product right.

Primarily, the product needs to have a value and it needs to be functional – that means that it solves the problem. Skyscape was the pioneer in creating a new category of mobile product that directly solved the problems of the healthcare student as well as the professional.
Secondly, the product must be reliable. It needs to be up and running and available for use at all times. If you can’t use it even once, you are going to use the faith in the product and will never open it again.
Finally, the product should be usable, right out of the box. It should be intuitive to learn and easy to remember as to how to get to a particular function.

The final ingredient to a good product is the fact that it is a pleasure to use it. This is the essence of the term ‘Delightful’, although it has become somewhat overused of late.

At Skyscape, we have religiously followed the above approach right from the time we deployed our first prototype at Brigham and Women’s Hospital some 20+ years ago, well before the term ‘Mobile’ became the buzz word. Some of our long time users will surely remember the first actionable and innovative book renditions to appear on the PDAs, the mobiles of the yesteryear. It came with the unique features like ‘Smartbuttons’, ‘Smartlinking’, ‘Treewalk’ aka interactive algorithm navigator, live formulas and more.

While all of these might have been creative for the time, it may not seem so novel in the world today. This is where we would like to touch on some of the new ideas that we have introduced to make our products sleek, while being practical and useful. We will have a series of posts to highlight such features in our products. The first in the series is the feature we have dubbed as ‘Elastic Menu’.

This feature provides a “menu” that is easy to use and avoids having to tap multiple times to get to the desired function. A simple icon that can be tapped to activate and then select an entry from the activated list of menu items without having to lift the finger. All in one smooth action!

Some of the important things to remember about this interface:

The key ingredients of this feature are-

minimal, clean and effective design
The key visual information travels with your point of contact (since the navigation is performed with a finger and you feel the sensation where your finger tip touches the screen, it is easy for your eye to focus right near the area of the touch)
Allows accommodating multiple menu icons (and thereby the corresponding actions they trigger)
One touch action – All of this becomes one smooth action. Tap… move while keeping the finger on the screen… and when you are on the lines of the desired icon/option (visual feedback gives you a clue as to what is active), just lift the finger away, … voila, you are in business!
Contrast this with the traditional approach. A typical menu selection process is to tap once (and lift your finger) on an anchor icon – then it presents a choice of menu, you look at the options and tap again (making sure that you tap in the given area of the desired icon’s boundary, requiring that special motor skill and attention) you will trigger the necessary action. If you change your mind, you tap on the icon that looks like an ‘x’ or tap away from the icon.

See it in action here (screen simulation from our latest release of the popular 5 Minute Clinical Consult title):

Elastic Menu Action

How to Keep Your Smart Device Sanitary

Please raise your hand if you’ve ever dropped your phone on the ground.

You hold your breath as you reach down and pray that your screen hasn’t cracked. Flipping it over you find a perfectly smooth screen and you put it back in your pocket and continue with your day.

Well, a cracked screen is not all you should be worried about. Just how clean do you think your phone is? How about your tablet? Add up the amount of times you drop your phone on a daily basis, how often you leave your phone on the table with food, when you bring it to the bathroom or let a friend play the newest game. Our phones are much dirtier than we think and for many of us it never crosses our minds.

Keeping your smart device sanitary is not as big of a hassle as it may seem, and we will walk you through the best and safest ways to accomplish this. When we’re done, you’ll know exactly how to clean your device and maintain its cleanliness. Ready? Let’s get started.

Device Cleaning

Before you start diving into the cleaning you need to know what is safe to use on your device without damaging it. Just like you wouldn’t use bleach on your car, there are certain things that work better for your smart devices. Whenever cleaning your device, make sure it is turned of and unplugged.

Keep in mind that there are many kinds of smart devices but in general they have similar components.

Your screen is often covered in oily fingerprints, dead skin, makeup from your face and countless other things throughout your day. This means your screen needs a proper cleaning since it goes through the must abuse.

A microfiber cloth is the best method for cleaning your screen without leaving scratches. Try to avoid using paper towels because they are rough and potentially leave scratches and nicks. Dirt and debris will wipe away mostly with just the cloth. For any stubborn marks and smudges you can use distilled water to break up the debris.

The back and sides of your devices can be cleaned in a similar manner but are frequently more sanitary since they are protected by your cases for the most part.

The last step to cleaning the device is to make sure the ports and edges are clean. Whether its your charging port or the headphone jack, dust and debris and sneak inside and remain there unnoticed. The easiest way to go about cleaning these areas is to used canned air and gently blow out the areas getting the larger debris out.

See, nothing fancy going on here. By keeping your device clean you have one less thing to worry about carrying germs and bacteria.

Case Cleaning

After you’ve cleaned your device, it is now time to move onto the case which can be just as dirty. Think of this step like you did when cleaning the device— you’re going to clean all areas so that you won’t leave any dust, germs and allergens behind.

You can use your same microfiber cloth to clean the majority of the case. Gently wiping down all areas will remove most major debris in a safe way. For the hard to reach nooks and crannies of the case, you can use a cotton swab to and the air can again is required.

Last, but certainly not least, we want to disinfect the device and case before putting them back together. Using disinfectant wipes is the quickest and easier way to accomplish this. Now we will be sure there are no germs or allergens left on the device. While you should give your device and case a thorough cleaning often, you can prolong an in-depth cleaning by frequently using disinfectant wipes throughout your week.

Then, you’re ready to put your case back on your phone and start your day. Now that you know the basic steps to cleaning your device, next time it wont feel quite as daunting.

Smart Device Academic Policy

If your school or program is considering instituting a mobile program into their curriculum, then you might need to develop an academic policy to keep everything in check. Below we have a general outline of an academic policy that can help you develop your own.

Academic Policy

I. Classroom Usage
No electronics are allowed during any exams. Students may not be able to see/hear/feel these devices during exams [devices are to be left in purses/backpacks, no devices on any person]. If faculty allow a calculator on an exam, the calculator will be provided by the school. Students with special accommodations requiring a special device must have documented approval from the dean’s office.

II. Clinical Usage

A. Smart devices are to be used in the clinical areas, and for lab activities and classroom exercises as directed by faculty. Use of portable electronic devices in clinical is regulated by the clinical agencies, local, state, and federal regulations and laws. All students are fully responsible for following all regulations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) guidelines and for following HIPAA guidelines when using their smart devices in the clinical or other settings.

B. Personal health identifiers (PHI) must be removed from any patient data students collect on their smart devices. Additionally, students will use a password to protect access to information on their smart devices. Infection control precautions must be maintained when using smart devices in patient care areas. Students must adhere to professional standards for all communication including maintaining confidentiality, proper conduct for communication and communicating appropriate material.

C. Smart device telephone and camera functions must be turned off during clinical and lab sessions by placing devices in “Airplane” mode [see below for instructions to place phones in “Airplane” mode]. Students are fully responsible to ensure that they adhere to all regulations at all times whether at school, at clinical, on break, or anywhere else. This includes proper management of confidential client information.

D. With the exception of specified course required activities, sending or receiving text or other messages on the smart device during class, clinical or lab is not permitted.

E. Using the internet for personal, non-school related functions is strictly prohibited. Inappropriate smart device use or violation of HIPAA guidelines is cause for termination from the School of Nursing.

F. Students will sign the Medical Center electronic compliance form [Authorization to Capture/Use PHI on Portable Devices] prior to entering any clinical setting at any facility annually for all courses and quarterly for Fundamentals. This form will be placed in each student’s file.

III. Using Airplane Mode – (iPhone)

A. Go to “Settings”

B. Tap“Airplane”modeON

C. Tap WiFi ON

D. You will not be able to receive phone calls/text messages online. You will be able to

get online clinical applications.

E. If students need to give a number to family members for contact, give the facility number provided in the syllabus.

IV. Safeguarding of Data
The student will implement protective measures, such as encryption, for restricted data to safeguard the confidentiality or integrity of the data in the event of theft or loss. The student will ensure that the device will never be left unattended during use in the clinical setting. The student will use strong password protections and encryption technology as commercially available. The student will ensure proper destruction of all PHI from the device immediately after its intended use. If the device is lost or stolen, it will be immediately reported to appropriate personnel and/or security.

V. Handheld Device Hygiene

A. Wash hands before using handheld device.

B. Avoid using device with contaminated gloves, plan ahead for procedures.

C. Wipe down handheld device using solutions ONLY recommended by manufacturer.

D. Avoid areas that can possibly contaminate device, e.g., laying device on bedside
tables or patient bed.

E. Avoid, if possible, taking device into isolation rooms. Help minimize transmission of
organisms by placing device in sealed ziplock lab specimen bag or leaving device
with instructor outside of isolation rooms.

F. Think before using in clinical setting. Remember handheld device will be brought
home and used with family and friends.

6 Essential Smartphone Resources for Nursing Students

There are many challenges and difficulties associated with nursing school. One of the most annoying things I remember about my nursing education was the 100 pounds of books. I had to lug that enormous piles of non-fiction back and forth to class, clinicals, my car, my home, and anywhere else I might need to have access to them. It was a literal pain in the neck. I saw nursing students get so creative when it came to carrying their books. I saw them using rolling carts, rolling luggage, and one girl even used a Radio Flyer wagon!

However, the days of book-loaded wagons can (and should) come to an end. Nearly every book you need for your nursing education can be downloaded in an electronic format that can be easily accessed from your computer or mobile device. In fact, Skyscape (who I have partnered with to create this post) have created the FREE Skyscape Medical Library app which allows you to download over 100 nursing books right on your smartphone. Not only does this make them more accessible and more easily searched, it can also save you 35%, or more, off the regular price of those books.

The Skyscape Medical Library app comes loaded with a few useful resources including: Skyscape Rx, Skyscape Clinical Consult (includes a Signs and Symptoms Index), and Skyscape Clinical calculator. The app has many innovative and helpful features including:

Smartsearch: search across all Skyscape resources installed on device for term, disease, drug, etc. Search result shows topic and which resource it is found in with quick link to that information
Smartlinking: cross-reference disease topic to related drug in the drug resource installed on device, using smartlink (which appears as a paperclip icon in tool bar)
Bookmarks: great for studying or to keep frequently used topics or lists handy for reference
History: automatically tracks what topics you’ve looked up
Embedded pronunciations, videos, images (pronunciations and Videos require WiFi)
Embedded dosing calculators: via Davis’s Drug Guide for Nurses
Calculators: Skyscape Clinical Calculator, Taber’s see Calculator index

The free resources included in the app are a great start, but you can also download over 400 titles. I personally recommend the Nursing Constellation Plus package for nurses and nursing students because it contains 6 essential resources for nursing students.

Purchased separately these books would cost $247, but bought through this bundle you are able to purchase all of them for $179.95. You’ll have access to this content from any Android or IPhone. You can also access much of the content on any computer at http://webview.skyscape.com.

SkillsHub – Get Ready for the Workplace

Prepare your students for the workplace

Get away from the paper-based checklists and using text books that were obsolete at time of print. Skyscape’s Skills Hub platform allows you to spend more time teaching and impacting outcomes by:

Electronically giving immediate feedback to students and running reports without the paperwork burden
Generating aggregated reports for accreditation

SkillsHub Platform is already packed with features and we have planned enhancements that will allow students to upload videos for peer review and for faculty grading and much more…

Students benefit by:

Learning from clear step-by-step instructions with links to evidence based material
Learning by observing videos and critiquing
Tracking skills performed in the Lab and/or Clinic and build a portfolio
Answering NCLEX type questions

Try the free app and contact us to find out how easy it is to customize the content and adopt the system in your curriculum.

Skyscape Helps fight Ebola Outbreak in West Africa

Since our inception, we have been an ever evolving company, constantly pushing at the forefront of mobile medical technology. Soon after the initial pilot to test the usability for physicians who are invariably away from their “desk”, it was clear that our product is very valuable for the physicians at the point-of-care. Soon after our launch we recognized the potential of the product in situations that take our users to remote and hostile locations. In the past, we have chronicled the instances where physicians and other medical professionals have appreciated the Skyscape technology at unexpected locations and unusual situations.

Here is one recent example from the crisis in West Africa:

“As a medical doctor currently in Liberia assisting in the West African Ebola outbreak, Skyscape has been an invaluable tool for me. It helps me quickly look up differential diagnoses and treatment plans with ease, which is essential given the breadth of illnesses we see here with minimal lab and treatment options. A unique aspect of Skyscape is that I can access all of this data without the need for the internet, a scarcity where I am currently working. In one instance, we had a patient present with a unique rash that no provider was able to diagnose; using the image bank of a Skyscape dermatology book, we were able to not only diagnose the patient, but also determine a treatment regimen that allowed the patient to stay in country, recover, and return to work. Skyscape has truly been my most important piece of medical equipment I have had during this trip. Thank you!”

Neel J. Shah, MD
Joint Forces Command – United Assistance
Monrovia, Liberia