Online Binders in the Hospital Setting

Last weekend as the snow fell in New York, I had the good fortune of stumbling upon a presentation on “LiveBinders” that was streaming live from the “TeachMeetGA 2012” conference. Steven W. Anderson also known as @web20classroom gave a presentation that provided excellent information on this application. If you have an opportunity visit his blog for good information and tips!

The website describes “LiveBinders” as a “three ring binder for the web.” By creating a "Live Binder", one can collect and organize resources found on the web including PDFs and videos. This is a terrific site to use for compiling information on any topic into a small neat online binder. According to the site and individual can upload any file up to 5 MB with a total storage of 100 MB. Current subscriptions are free!

LiveBinders offers video tutorials that clearly explain how to use the site. Click here for a brief video overview of LiveBinders. I found this application easy use and fairly intuitive. Some considerations for using this site in the hospital setting:

• Use websites that the hospital has already approved for a bypass proxy. This will simplify access to pages by staff who may or may not have internet access
• Request a bypass proxy in writing for hospital-blocked sites and provide the rationale for access (Example: Educational YouTube videos)
• Use the embedding codes to have the binder appear on the website
• Organize binders for almost any topic including patient education, hospital safety, new initiatives, staff education, practice updates, and more!
• Use the Edit button to access the different page layouts 
• Binders can be easily updated by adding/changing URLs to existing or new tabs

Below is a LiveBinder that I quickly put together on Patient Safety Information. 

2012 Patient Safety Information

Presentations Without Internet Access

Imagine that your abstract is accepted for a four-hour workshop at a national convention, demonstrating basic web skills for building nursing educational websites only to learn that there would be no Internet access. I recently had this experience but was still able to offer the program by using video screen captures that nicely complemented my presentation.

I tend to be a bit paranoid when relying on technology during a presentation. A single technical glitch can eat up precious time meant for the program in trying to troubleshoot the issue. Over the years I have experienced no Internet access related to facility limitations, poor Wi-Fi reception, excessively slow downloads of YouTube videos, air card connection problems, inability to download certain software on a host laptop, audio limitations, and more.  For demonstrations that rely on an Internet connection, backup is essential in the event a solid connection fails.

In January 2010, I gave a presentation for my Epsilon Mu chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International. Part of this presentation included demonstrating the use of Skype as a means of virtually bringing a live guest speaker to the program. In preparation, I requested Internet access well in advance to facilitate this portion of my program. I also spoke directly to the IT specialist who was setting up the room for the program. I had the assurance that Wi-Fi access would not be a problem. However, because Skype was not installed on the school’s laptop I could not deliver the live interview. My laptop was also unusable because I did not have an account on the school’s server. Attempts of downloading Skype onto the school’s laptop also failed as none of the organizers had “Admin rights.” The program was on a Saturday so IT assistance was unavailable.

Fortunately, I could deliver this portion of the demonstration because I did have backup. I made a video capture of the interview earlier in the week “just in case” I could not access Skype. The pre-recorded capture captivated the audience by what appeared to be a live interview. After that experience I have found that video screen capture back up is the next best thing when Internet access is not an option for your presentation. For a capture with audio:

• Use screen capture software (such as Snagit, Jing, JingPro, etc)
• Check that the volume is at a good level
• Check that the audio settings are on
• Fit/size the region of the screen to record
• Select “Record Screen Video.”
• Click on “Capture”

The above actions only take about a minute. I strongly recommend checking the volume and audio settings. Should the volume setting be at a low-level otherwise the production will be barely audible. When using a video as a backdrop for demonstration purposes while speaking to a live audience, remember to mute the audio settings prior to recording the capture. An example for this might be a demonstration on how to resize a picture on a webpage. 

Laser Pointers No More

Laser pointers have been traditionally used in conjunction with electronic slideshow presentations as a means of emphasizing a specific part of a slide. Despite the usefulness of this tool, sometimes the red beam of light can serve as a distraction depending on the ability of the presenter. I have attended PowerPoint presentations where the bright red beam has erratically jumped all over the screen. Over the years I have owned several laser pointers and I found them useful when working with a much larger screen projection. In the past few years, I stopped using the laser pointer by replacing it with the insertion of non-filled shapes with brightly colored borders along with custom animations directly on my slideshow presentation. By using this method, I find that I have more control and I do not have to worry about holding the beam of light steady or circling a region continuously. The added bonus is that I don’t need batteries!

Procedure:

1.  Click on the “Insert” tab
2. Click on “shapes”
• Choose the shape (I generally take a square or circle)
3. Size the shape over the first region to emphasize by holding down the left side of the mouse while gliding the “+” symbol on the field until the desired size has been achieved
4. Click on the "Shape fill"
• Select no fill
5. Click on "Shape outline"”
• Select “color” in the drop-down box (bright red)
6. Click on “Weight”
• Select: 2 1/4-3 pt
7. Click on the "Animations"  tab
8. Click on "Custom animation"
9. Click on drop-down menu on the "Add effect" button
• Click on "Entrance"
• Click on "Faded zoom"
10. Click on drop-down box for first animation
• Click on “Effect”
• Click on drop-down box for “Don't dim"
• Select “Hide on next mouse click"
11. For highligthing multiple areas; copy the shape and re-size it over the next region (all animations will be duplicated)
12. Recopy the shape as needed

Cell Phones, Hospitals, and Social Media

Infusion phlebitis
Picture: Copyright 2011 Teresa Heithaus

Over a year ago my son was admitted to a local hospital for emergency surgery. The hospital was known for its excellent reputation and for its ANCC Magnet status. He developed some complications following surgery that extended his stay longer than expected. During the hospitalization he developed a Grade 3- 4 infusion phlebitis. I uncovered the phlebitis by examining his right arm after he complained about pain at the IV site. I pulled up the sleeve on the hospital gown and saw a long red streak that extended from his antecubital region up to his shoulder. Immediately, I called his nurse who examined his arm and discontinued the IV. After the nurse left the room, I dug through my purse and pulled out my cell phone. I wasted no time in taking a photograph of his affected arm. I was not thinking of litigation but rather, I believed this would make a good photo for the IV course that I teach at my institution. An added plus was that I could easily obtain permission for use of the picture. His nurse soon returned to tend to his arm.

Uploading pictures or videos onto a social media site from a smart phone takes only seconds.  In general, any individual with a smart phone can simply click on a social media app such as Facebook, followed by clicking on the "+" symbol and choose either a picture on file or “Take a photo/video.” In moments, a person can post the picture or video along with a “comment” on a social media site for every "friend" or "follower" to see. From my perspective, most of the pictures or videos posted by my family or friends have been positive, fun, or just plain silly. However, this does not limit individuals from posting negative, malicious, compromising, and hurtful comments, pictures, or videos on social media sites.

 A nursing colleague had once told me of a patient's family member who insisted on using his cell phone to videotape discharge education his mother was receiving in the hospital. She asked the family member not to videotape the session as she felt it was “distracting and made her uncomfortable.” I suggested that the development of “scripted,” educational, video tutorials become available on the hospital Internet site for the purpose of patient education. This way, patients and their families can be directed to the website for viewing the information while providing their full attention to the live educational session.

Disgruntled consumers have been known to write negative feedback on websites or even post disparaging videos on YouTube.  Some institutions have resorted to creating policies to combat the taking or posting of pictures and videos (on the Internet) by imposing a ban on such activities while on the hospital premises. However, do such policy statements stop anyone from taking pictures or videos with his or her cell/smart phone when such actions can be done quickly and covertly? The discovery of such posts generally occurs well after the fact.