Direct care nurses' knowledge in acute myocardial infarction treatment.

An acronym, a button, a script card, and a lot of fun are all an educator needs to turn dreaded education into a great learning experience for nurses as well as the patients. A multidisciplinary team pilot tested a new learning approach on a cardiac step-down unit. The goal was to educate both nurses and patients about the American Heart Association's Get-With-the-Guidelines Program for Coronary Artery Disease. The educational strategies were successful, and data revealed an increase in nursing knowledge of core measures. After a two-phase study, the program was eventually rolled out hospital-wide. The study results show that nurses' compliance with and knowledge of the AHA core measures increased as a direct result of the program.