A different kind of conference

As noted in my previous post, I am blogging this week from the HeartMath Best Practices Conference and it is a wonderful experience.

Mayo Clinic Arizona staff, Susan Launder, Barbra Hudak, and Lynne Hulvey shared how they have transformed the culture in their nursing unit by infusing HeartMath into the daily activities of their team. Susan is the team leader and she says, "When the staff is happy...everyone's happy and HeartMath bring happiness!"

Lynne is a SWAT nurse. This means that she is a critical care nurse who is available to respond quickly when a patient's medical condition rapidly deteriorates or when the nursing workload is becoming overwhelming. Barbra is the house supervisor. Those of us who participated in their presentations could not help but be impressed by the passion these nurses have for their teams and in turn the care they provide to their patients. Their presentation focused on how other hospitals can work to expand HeartMath to transform the culture of their entire hospital. In their case, they reported to the Mayo Board of Governors their experiences with HeartMath on their unit and how they felt HeartMath would be beneficial to the entire Mayo Clinic Arizona system.

The data they provided was striking. Since initiating HeartMath, error rates on their unit improved. Better communication, clearer critical thinking, and improved working relationships all contributed to overall improvement. As a result, the Board of Governors agreed and HeartMath was expanded throughout the Mayo Clinic Arizona System.

Personally, I know HeartMath changes lives. I've seen this many times in my own experiences. I think it is very powerful to also see the data that HeartMath also saves lives through improved patient safety.

As we finished the day, we were encouraged to consider what we appreciated most from the day... Appreciation is a big part of HeartMath...I found several things to appreciate.

• Lots of great ideas from very inspired leaders.


• Genuine compassion, caring, and passion.


• Profound organizational commitment.


• Stories that spread positive, good news to others.


• The connection between Qigong and HeartMath - to move and breathe with life


• Evidenced-based science adds creditability and opportunity for improved patient care.


• HeartMath changes and saves lives.

This is a different kind of conference...the pace is deliberate, content-focused, and thoughtful. I can hardly wait to see what's next.