Napa, California—July 20, 2016—The Doctors Company Foundation has provided an $88,020 grant for hands-on simulation education to increase neurological stroke assessment skills at Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa. The medical center recently reinstated and expanded its neuroscience program and is focused on enhancing its nursing staff’s ability to provide quick and accurate assessments of strokes, the fifth leading cause of death in the U.S. and a major cause of adult disability.

The medical center will purchase an advanced medical simulation manikin to allow the nursing staff to receive hands-on training in true-to-life treatment scenarios. The grant covers the cost of training 450 nurses beginning this summer.

“One of the key goals of our foundation is to support patient safety education for healthcare professionals,” said David B. Troxel, MD, chairman of The Doctors Company Foundation and medical director of The Doctors Company, the nation’s largest physician-owned medical malpractice insurer. “We’re proud to support this important program that not only helps educate nurses through simulation training, but also ultimately benefits the health of patients in our local community.”

Scenario-based simulation training has proven effective in improving technical and functional expertise, decision-making and problem-solving techniques, team-based competencies such as defining roles, and interpersonal communication. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, simulation supports a culture of safety where healthcare providers can apply theoretical knowledge in a controlled environment without risks to patients.

“This training will quickly enhance and fine-tune the performance of our new and veteran nurses when assessing high-acuity neurological patients,” said Suki Stanton, vice president of Patient Care Services, Queen of the Valley Medical Center. “We are grateful for The Doctors Company Foundation’s support of our goal to provide our patients with the best possible care administered under the safest conditions.”

About The Doctors Company Foundation
The purpose of the foundation is to support patient safety education for healthcare professionals and patient safety research with clinically useful applications. In this context, patient safety is defined as a healthcare discipline that minimizes the incidence and impact of adverse events by redesigning systems and processes using human factors principles to reduce errors. Visit www.tdcfoundation.com.