Medical Mnemonics: Do they really work? Can they save lives? Luanne Linanrd-Palmer RN EdD CPN, Professor of Pediatric Nursing Cathy Cyr RN MSN, Professor of Nursing

Dominican University of California, School of Health and Natural Sciences, Department of Nursing

What is a Mnemonic? Three General Types of Mnemonics: Previous Study: Code Response •Rhymes Code Blue Mnemonic Derived from antiquity! •Acronyms (letter strategy) Series of components required without task order ABCD COPI ME First documented by Roman and Greek philosophers in •Key words or Pegs 500 B.C. Ideas for Further Mnemonics Skills accuracy: 95% skills accuracy increase “Mnemonic” stems from Greek words: (f(6,36) = 41.01) Room safety check – Mneme (memory) Confidence: All scores increased after intervention Quality – Mnemon (mindful) (t(6) = 3.51, p<.01) QSEN – Mnemosyne (Greek Goddess of Memory) Previous Study: Chemotherapy – Used for memorization of long speeches by Ideas for Further Research: Greek poets by means of a loci et res Series of components of a safety mnemonic Examples of Mnemonics Hand-Off’s (structure and items CHEMO SAFE and SOUND Just Go Nuts! (A nutty idea for patient handoffs. Brief Patient Safe. Remembering material: Pre-Chemo: Five Types of Memory: 2006;Nov:5-7.) Consent * Name of patient, diagnosis, room number Semantic memory Medications that need double checking by two nurses in pediatrics: Health history and health assessment * Unusual or unique; variances identified on the individual Not learned from experience: colors, alphabet Evaluation of patient, VS, clinical status, labs, neutropenia D’Bitchen care plan including critical lab values, pain management, Episodic memory Make sure parent is around etc. Digoxin or any cardiac medication Details of events requiring processes: encoding, Organize all supplies, double check chemo the road map * Tubes such as IV, NG, catheters, drains, ostomies Intro-Chemo consolidation/storage and retrieval. Blood and blood products * Safety concerns such as falls, medication reconciliation Procedural memory Insulins or any hypoglycemic Safe administration Accurately double check all medications • Pace (Schroeder SJ., 2006) We remember how to perform everyday tasks, such as Chemotherapeutics and related anti-cancer drugs Fluid and electrolytes safe tying shoes Patient/problem Heparin or any anticoagulant Ensure patent central line with blood return Assessment/actions Automatic memory Electrolytes Post-Chemo Unconscious memory enabled by previous experience Narcotics Symptoms Continuing/changes Emotional memory Observation Evaluation Cue leads to retrieval of a conscious memory about Urine Triggering safe actions: • Pediatric (Arora, V. & Johnson, J. 2006) emotional event causing emotional response in new Need for education at home situation. CAB Drugs needed for discharge: symptom management Assessment of 12 cranial nerves Problem list Series of steps to organize a response Expected tasks to be done Discussion Thoughts Mnemonic provided significant findings Diagnostic one-liner What can be done to improve clinical safety in nursing with Research findings demonstrated a higher level of mnemonics? If/then recall in both information and in-order tasks Administrative data/advanced directives Purposes of Medical Mnemonics Are there areas of safety concern that warrant further research? Higher confidence (t-value -9,862, df 41, p,.001) Therapeutics Remembering content Higher skills performance (85% increase in accurately What behaviors would you like to see nurses use universally? performed skills as compared to pre-mnemonic intervention) Complex serious of material Results and other important facts Mental means to recall components of theory Higher knowledge (insignificant) What barriers can you anticipate if mnemonics where introduced at IV access/invasive devices Helpful if there is dissociated ideas needing recall your institution? Custody and current issues

Triggering actions What is the relationship between mnemonics and check lists Recall of sets of behaviors Lists of actions required during complex tasks

RESEARCH POSTER PRESENTATION DESIGN © 2015 www.PosterPresentations.com