University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Banner Health Hometown Hero - Natalie Yount
10/29/2020 11:38:00 AM | General
This week's Banner Health Hometown Hero is pharmacy director Natalie Yount
As the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the world, the medical field stepped into the light for the amazing work they perform day in and day out. UNC Athletics is highlight a Banner Health Hometown Hero for their impact on the community during these unique times. Last week's Hero - Alyssa Crosley.
Natalie Yount, Pharmacy Director
What was your main way of keeping up of the different drugs used to treat COVID when the pandemic first hit?
We initially started preplanning by looking at the medications that may be used to treat COVID patients based on literature that existed at that time. We also thought about what medications would be needed to take care of mechanically ventilated patients. We started increasing our quantities of all these medications, as much as we could. Once our surge occurred, it was more difficult to obtain product since it was in such high demand, so we had multiple pharmacy staff checking for stock throughout the day on a daily basis as well as had other Banner facilities purchase on our behalf.
How did data and information from other countries help you keep enough supplies for patients?
We used available literature to help us anticipate what medications we may need.
What is a dash board and how did it help in the treatment of COVID?
When our surge hit, we quickly realized we needed a way to plan the needs of our patients based on the large quantities of certain medications they were using and the preparation of these products. We created an Excel spreadsheet that tracked our inventory as well as our current patient infusion rates to help us see how many of each product was needed for the next 24 hours. We took this a step further and built in a predictive tool looking at three different patient scenarios. Since most of these medications are dosed based on weight, we picked three different weights and cross-referenced average dosing for each medication. We could then enter any number of patients in each column to see how much product we would need to treat that many patients to help establish adequate inventory.
How did you best help the providers prescribe the best medications for COVID?
Locally, we had COVID rounds daily in which pharmacy was involved. During these rounds, the pharmacists shared information that related to patient care as well as shared guidelines that were being created by the Banner System Clinical Teams.
How do you feel better prepared for future pandemics?
We have tools in place to help us track our medication usage and inventory that will help us in the future. We also developed different workflows to accommodate the labor needs for high acuity patients. We've also established other areas outside the distribution piece of our department that pharmacy involvement is key to ensuring patient safety within the facility (storage of medications, technology access for our nursing staff, pharmacist physically present in the nursing units for provider, nursing, and patient needs).
Natalie Yount, Pharmacy Director
What was your main way of keeping up of the different drugs used to treat COVID when the pandemic first hit?
We initially started preplanning by looking at the medications that may be used to treat COVID patients based on literature that existed at that time. We also thought about what medications would be needed to take care of mechanically ventilated patients. We started increasing our quantities of all these medications, as much as we could. Once our surge occurred, it was more difficult to obtain product since it was in such high demand, so we had multiple pharmacy staff checking for stock throughout the day on a daily basis as well as had other Banner facilities purchase on our behalf.
How did data and information from other countries help you keep enough supplies for patients?
We used available literature to help us anticipate what medications we may need.
What is a dash board and how did it help in the treatment of COVID?
When our surge hit, we quickly realized we needed a way to plan the needs of our patients based on the large quantities of certain medications they were using and the preparation of these products. We created an Excel spreadsheet that tracked our inventory as well as our current patient infusion rates to help us see how many of each product was needed for the next 24 hours. We took this a step further and built in a predictive tool looking at three different patient scenarios. Since most of these medications are dosed based on weight, we picked three different weights and cross-referenced average dosing for each medication. We could then enter any number of patients in each column to see how much product we would need to treat that many patients to help establish adequate inventory.
How did you best help the providers prescribe the best medications for COVID?
Locally, we had COVID rounds daily in which pharmacy was involved. During these rounds, the pharmacists shared information that related to patient care as well as shared guidelines that were being created by the Banner System Clinical Teams.
How do you feel better prepared for future pandemics?
We have tools in place to help us track our medication usage and inventory that will help us in the future. We also developed different workflows to accommodate the labor needs for high acuity patients. We've also established other areas outside the distribution piece of our department that pharmacy involvement is key to ensuring patient safety within the facility (storage of medications, technology access for our nursing staff, pharmacist physically present in the nursing units for provider, nursing, and patient needs).
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