National nurses association recognizes BWFH’s ICU 

The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) recently conferred a silver-level Beacon Award for Excellence on Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital’s ICU.

The Beacon Award for Excellence—a significant milestone on the path to exceptional patient care and healthy work environments—recognizes unit caregivers who successfully improve patient outcomes and align practices with AACN’s six Healthy Work Environment Standards. Units that achieve this three-year, three-level award with a gold, silver or bronze designation meet national criteria consistent with the ANCC Magnet Recognition Program®, the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and the National Quality Healthcare Award.

AACN President Amanda Bettencourt, PhD, APRN, CCRN-K, ACCNS-P, applauds the commitment of the caregivers in BWFH’s ICU for working together to meet and exceed the high standards set forth by the Beacon Award for Excellence. These dedicated healthcare professionals set the standard for optimal patient care.

“Being recognized as a Beacon unit, especially while working to meet the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, underscores the team’s ongoing commitment to providing safe, patient-centered and evidence-based care to patients and families,” Bettencourt explains. “Achieving this award is an honor, and the team should be proud of setting such a high standard in patient care and positive patient outcomes.”

The silver-level Beacon Award for Excellence earned by BWFH’s ICU signifies an effective approach to policies, procedures and processes that includes engagement of staff and key stakeholders. The unit has evaluation and improvement strategies in place and good performance measures when compared to relevant benchmarks. BWFH’s ICU earned its silver award by meeting the following evidence-based Beacon Award for Excellence criteria:

• Leadership Structures and Systems
• Appropriate Staffing and Staff Engagement
• Effective Communication, Knowledge Management and Learning and Development
• Evidence-Based Practice and Processes
• Outcome Measurement

“I was beyond thrilled to learn we had earned the Silver-level Beacon Award for Excellence,” says ICU Nurse Director Estier Sayegh, MBA, BSN, RN, CNRN, PCCN, CCRN. “This award proves what I have known for a long time—that our team is committed to providing the very best, safest patient-centered care and evidence-based practice at the bedside. Our reviewers noted our quality improvement initiatives around catheter-associated urinary tract infections and hospital-acquired pressure injuries. They also made note of our orientation program, which is designed to foster staff engagement and development, and the fact that our staff are encouraged to complete projects and submit abstracts. I am so proud of this team and the excellence they demonstrated each and every day.”

About the Beacon Award for Excellence

Established in 2003, the Beacon Award for Excellence offers a road map to help guide exceptional care through improved outcomes and greater overall patient satisfaction. U.S. and Canadian units where patients receive their principal nursing care after hospital admission qualify for this excellence award. Units that receive the Beacon Award for Excellence meet criteria in six categories: leadership structures and systems; appropriate staffing and staff engagement; effective communication, knowledge management and learning and development; evidence-based practice and processes; and outcome measurement. To learn more, visit www.aacn.org/beacon or call 800-899-2226.

About the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses

Founded in 1969 and based in Aliso Viejo, California, the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) is the largest specialty nursing organization in the world. AACN represents the interests of more than half a million acute and critical care nurses and includes more than 200 chapters in the United States. The organization’s vision is to create a healthcare system driven by the needs of patients and their families in which acute and critical care nurses make their optimal contribution. To learn more about AACN, visit www.aacn.org, connect with the organization on Facebook or follow AACN on Twitter.

Published 3/8/23