TURENA

QUALITY MANAGEMENT COORDINATOR

In our previous work on reducing central venous line infections, 43% of PICC lines (the most popular form of central line) were being inserted because a peripheral IV couldn’t be placed in the hand or arm.

So I purchased ultrasound equipment and trained 20 nurses for better peripheral IV insertion. Now, our success rate is 91 percent, and emergency department patients ask for the machine by name (we call her Lucinda). Most importantly, I reduced non-essential PICC line use by 40 percent within 10 months. We also recently just completed our 1,000th insertion using the ultrasound!

To have a resource like the Albert Einstein Society, that’s here to help make care better for our patients, is a prayer that has been answered.

Together, donors and grantees like us are making a difference. We are Einstein.

Turena Reeves works in the Patient Safety and Performance Improvement Department at Einstein Medical Center Philadelphia.