08/12/2024
Membership Recognition: Reni Mattathil DNP, MSN, RN-BC, CNL
Dr. Mattathil is a seasoned nurse with more than 34 years of nursing experience. The last three years, she has been serving as a Clinical Nurse Leader on acute care medical-surgical units at Dallas VA Medical Center, Dallas Texas. She also serves as a part-time Clinical Instructor with Chamberlain University in their BSN program.
She serves on two similar units with a total capacity of 33 beds. These units are capable of taking care of a wide variety of patients including major surgeries of different specialties, and cardiac and chronic disease patients. Dr. Mattathil focuses on improving the outcomes of the units and she uses her expertise in evidence-based practice for every issue that affects outcomes. As a CNL, she works with local and national stakeholders and serves in different capacities that will help her to receive and share expertise on various issues.
In 2022, her units experienced an almost 70% increase in Hospital Associated Pressure Injuries (HAPI) in less than three months. She collaborated with Nurse Managers and front-line staff to find out the root causes of the acute spike. Based on the best evidence and staff input she led a back-to-basic HAPI prevention project. As a result of the project, the HAPI rate of the unit decreased to 0% for four months. With her consistent and ongoing effort, the units have been able to maintain a low HAPI rate (the average
