MetroWest Medical Center Receives Beacon Award For Excellence in ICU Care

The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), Aliso Viejo, Calif., recently granted a bronze-level Beacon Award for Excellence to MetroWest Medical Center’s Intensive Care Unit.

MetroWest Medical Center is one of six hospitals in Massachusetts to receive a Beacon Award for Excellence.

A celebration will be held outside the ICU in the Framingham Union Campus on Tuesday, June 25th at noon to congratulate the unit.

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 earn this three-year, three-level award with a gold, silver or bronze designation meet national criteria consistent with Magnet Recognition, the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and the National Quality Healthcare Award.

The bronze-level Beacon Award for Excellence earned by The ICU at MetroWest Medical Center signifies success in developing, deploying and integrating unit-based performance criteria for optimal outcomes.

This award was earned by meeting the following evidence-based Beacon Award for Excellence criteria:

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

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. or 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, learning and development; evidence-based practice and processes; and outcome measurement.