ECRI and RLDatix Launch Empathetic Communication and Caring for the Caregiver Training during COVID-19 Pandemic

By AIT News Desk On Apr 13, 2020

Internationally recognized patient safety expert Dr. Tim McDonald leads April 16 CANDOR program

ECRI, an independent trusted voice in healthcare improving the safety, quality, and cost-effectiveness of care, and RLDatix, the leading global provider of intelligent patient safety solutions, announce a new collaboration to meet the needs of care teams in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Their collaboration will initiate with a free empathetic communication and caring for the caregiver training program.

Both ECRI and RLDatix bring decades of experience in patient safety and reducing preventable harm. The goal of this collaboration is to develop tangible programs that can be used immediately in the battle against COVID-19. Additional ways to provide value in patient safety and training for healthcare organizations will continue beyond the COVID-19 crisis.

One area that the two companies will collaborate on immediately is a live webcast program that combines the clinical side of the COVID-19 battle (the head) with the need to provide emotional first aid for caregivers (the heart).

“The mental health of frontline staff is now a key concern of leaders as our caregivers struggle with the personal challenges of combatting the pandemic while dealing with their own feelings of isolation, sleep deprivation, and emotional exhaustion,” says Marcus Schabacker, MD, PhD, president and CEO, ECRI. “We are proud to be working with RLDatix on programs that provide the communications skills that care teams need to handle unimaginable life and death situations.”

The April 16 training program features internationally recognized patient safety expert Timothy B. McDonald, MD, JD, chief patient safety and risk officer, RLDatix. Dr. McDonald served as a lead architect for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s Communication and Optimal Resolution (CANDOR) toolkit.

Dr. McDonald will share the importance of implementing the CANDOR process and how the lines of communication for patients and care teams can help mitigate the negative consequences of this crisis and support healthcare workers as they seek emotional first aid, a sense of well-being, and morale. The webinar includes two role-playing videos that address real-world scenarios facing healthcare workers today.

“As the COVID-19 crisis continues to spread through communities around the world, it is imperative that we work together to mitigate its impact,” said Jeff Surges, CEO, RLDatix. “Our unique perspectives at the intersection of mental health and patient safety play a pivotal role in developing resources aimed at reducing the impact of the virus, and we are excited to work closely with ECRI on this initiative.”

As part of its mission to advance effective, evidence-based healthcare globally, ECRI developed a public-access COVID-19 Resource Center to help hospitals, ambulatory care, and aging care facilities protect healthcare workers, residents, and patients. The site includes infection control guidance, medical device guidance, and clinical evidence assessments on coronavirus-related treatments, therapies, and interventions. RLDatix has also developed a COVID-19 resource center with complimentary policies and procedures, templates, job aids and best practices to help organizations more effectively respond to the crisis.