Digital Health Literacy? with Danielle Siarri, Lead Publisher at InnoNurse (transcribed by Sonix)

Welcome to the Outcomes Rocket podcast where we inspire collaborative thinking, improved outcomes, and business success with today’s most successful and inspiring healthcare leaders and influencers. And now your host, Saul Marquez.

Saul Marquez: Welcome back to the podcast, Saul Marquez here. Today I have the privilege to have an outstanding guest with us. Her name is Danielle Siarri. She’s the lead publisher at InnoNurse. She’s got a Masters in Nursing informatics and is a registered nurse with experience ranging from hospital setting of transplants trauma as well as a Case Manager in a corporate environment and a leading global health technology influencer. She’s a contributor to the Microsoft Intel in Health Nurse Blog. HIMSS Europe, HIMSS on LinkedIn published author. She’s been nominated as one of the Top Information Technology 100 (HIIT100), Social Media Ambassador for HIMSS, owner and publisher of InnoNurse which we are going to be talking about now, it’s InnoNurse.info. It’s a forward thinking health I.T. curation website and she’s also a health I.T. consultant who advises firms of all sizes and also takes pride in empowering the minority nurse to do more and to have better representation. So Danielle, love that you’re here with us and looking forward to our conversation.

Danielle Siarri: Thank you so much for having me. I’m really excited and just to have this conversation and share our time together. So thank you for inviting me, having me.

Saul Marquez: It’s a true pleasure Danielle. So what would you say got you into healthcare to begin with?

Danielle Siarri: Years ago when I… basically I was small. I just love science. I love science and I love people and time I got to high school I realized you could put those two things together and people paid you. And I thought it was genius like hey…

Saul Marquez: Wait a minute, I could do it.

Danielle Siarri: Oh wow I know what I’m going to do in this space but I’m definitely going to do something. So that’s how I kind of started in just doing my general science and to volunteer for the military and like through the Red Cross and I guess the nurses were doing, a nurse practitioners and doctors in the Navy and just doing little stuff like using the microscope and taking for different diseases and kind of correlating what I was learning in anatomy to what I was actually seeing in real life. And I said “Yeah this this is my wheelhouse and I’m going to become a nurse”.

Saul Marquez: Wow.

Danielle Siarri: Kind of take it from there and then came into the E.R. I said oh wow like this changes every day. So I thought initially I would do like OBGYN I got there and I was like “this is the same everyday I think I’ve made a mistake I gotta figure this out.” And I just loved how it always evolved and how nursing evolves and you don’t have to just do one thing you don’t have to have just one mindset. So that’s kind of how I got started.

Saul Marquez: I love that. It’s a very natural pathway. You love the change you Love you love the the ebb and flow and maybe that’s why you got into informatics and the stuff that you’re up to. What would you say Danielle is a hot topic that needs to be on every medical leader’s agenda today and how are you and just your work approaching that?

Danielle Siarri: Basically I look throughout the year globally and I kind of see the trends kind of being on the ground working with different teams whether it’s I.T. medical so where I’m really looking continuum is artificial intelligence is still going to be a big thing coming through this year augmented reality and how that’s being implemented more into healthcare. I saw two years ago how is permitted in Norway and how it was engaging with the patient. So I’m going to see more going towards the code issues using it. I see a little bit from simulations in the UK using it. So I would say those are two things. And the clouds coming back in a big way. So I would say those are the three things I’ll be looking for, for next year how people are implementing and how are they using it and is it useful, does it trickle down to the patient is ticking down to the end users.

Saul Marquez: The cloud, augmented reality. How do we put these things in on the ground for the folks listening what do they have to be thinking about?

Danielle Siarri: Well when it comes to augmented reality I have been watching it being implemented into electronic healthcare records, make it easier for clinicians to chart. I’ve been dabbling a bit just trying to learn on my own. There’s a lot of kind of online and offline tribes that I’m with where we’re playing with avatars and having meetings online. We just find it really interesting and patients are coming, clinicians are coming, I.T. people are coming to those events online. So just another way of communicating by learning how to use the tools for artificial intelligence. I see people in implementing it for small large companies the way kind of coral last see with like insurance and helping the patient guide them through the process or see diagnostic, almost going down through a logarithm like “okay you know I have this system my that’s that this symptom and then they’re loading up a lot of different research” as backed by physicians to kind of correlate to what they possibly have instead of just searching on Google which has been going on for a while. So I would say those two. And then when it comes to the cloud, people deciding you know can they afford to implement it, should they implement it with this like hybrid cloud? What’s the best for them? Can they get the data back out? How did they get the data back out do the people on their teams after these companies have gone? Do they know how to use them properly? So those are things that I’m looking at across the world.

Saul Marquez: Love it. Some great examples. Thank you for that Danielle. And listeners if you hadn’t had a chance to to check out Danielle’s blog, innonurse.info that’s i n n o nurse dot info. The topics that she’s bringing up she is just a collector of ideas and information and she she organizes it so neatly on her blog. I encourage you to check that out and learn more about the cloud and learn more about the artificial intelligence applications and augmented reality. Go there will leave a link in the in the show notes so you could do that for sure but Danielle tell us a time when through your very entrepreneurial way of doing things, you had a setback and and what you learned from that setback?

Danielle Siarri: I would say what I’ve learned is I never really thought about this is learning when to stay and learning when to go. Sometimes if you’re at a place and you’ve learned everything that you can learn and everything you could share and it just kind of repeats. So to me it’s like learning when to leave the stage.

Saul Marquez: Yeah.

Danielle Siarri: I think is the biggest staying and winning to to try something new to improve yourself to find like minded people and not to be afraid to step out. I would say the biggest mistake might be just staying too long and kind of hoping things change instead of just you know changing it for yourself.

Saul Marquez: I love that and I love the metaphor of knowing when to leave the stage. I just get this picture like the show’s over and you’re still there.

Danielle Siarri: No I think when they get off the stage.

Saul Marquez: Where is everybody?

Danielle Siarri: Know get off when they’re still clap and don’t stay around were like “why he or she is still here?” and I think that’s the toughest thing you can get comfortable.

Saul Marquez: Love that. That’s a great picture.

Danielle Siarri: Could be your greatest enemy because you’re not pushing yourself to do better to know more to expand like sometimes you outgrow the stage your on. And you just kind of sit around because you’re afraid to go for various different reasons. Benefits mostly.

Saul Marquez: Yeah. Isn’t that true. I mean so many people are where they are because of the benefits. Healthcare is expensive. And if you could find a way to do it better just go do something new. But if you love what you’re doing stay with it.

Danielle Siarri: Yeah stay with it, some people find their niche and that’s it. And they’re good and you know. But if you feel like you can’t grow anymore it is preparing for that. And just to prepare yourself like some people just leave so not just leave but really kind of lay the groundwork out well so it’s more stepping forward.

Saul Marquez: You know I am there is an app there is that episode of well it’s not an episode it’s a clip of that movie Up In The Air with George Clooney. Have you seen it?

Danielle Siarri: Yeah.

Saul Marquez: He’s you know…his job is to basically fire people but he’s sitting there in that scene and tells the guy “hey you know what’s your passion?” “cooking” like you’ve been here your whole life and you left your dream because you wanted benefits and you wanted this mat. It’s an opportunity for you to do that. And I thought that was pretty good. I’m kind of in line with what you’re saying Danielle, just just go for what you’re interested in and what you’re passionate about.

Danielle Siarri: Yeah usually it’s fear. Fear of taking that chance. Fear of expanding like what’s on the other side and see what you find is yourself on the other side.

Saul Marquez: So true. So give us an example Danielle of how your work whether it be your blog, your consulting, your bedside work, how that is improving outcomes, creating better results by doing things differently?

Danielle Siarri: I guess my biggest push for disruption is digital health literacy. Whether I’m teaching nurses, doctors, techs, anyone, where there’s online or offline. It’s my big push is digital health literacy.

Saul Marquez: Tell me more.

Danielle Siarri: Well you don’t have literacy. I kind of observe people and see where their strengths are and where they kind of need to be shored up and then just kind of kind of make friends with them like “hey you know how do you do this and how do you do that” or when I see someone struggling and I just ask the nurses said “so how do you do your banking?” She’s like “I don’t.” I said “What kind of phone you use like a flip phone?” I’m like “How do you fly?” And I’m like “how to use a computer at home”. Shes like “I don’t. I… my husband sets up the email I type in and sends it.” So when you have someone like that and you have to show them how to use you know different software or platform or tool, you kind of have to understand their background where they’re coming from as you can relate to them and then build them assured them up. So to me it’s the digital health literacy in people being afraid to own their digital health literacy. You know like I just don’t know where to start. I don’t know where to begin.

Saul Marquez: Yeah.

Danielle Siarri: And everything.

Saul Marquez: And so and so have you gotten involved in any projects or helped any organizations kind of get their literacy up or just implement something with a better approach?

Danielle Siarri: Yeah I would say there’s probably a quarter of what I do I kind of do like a mini assessment and see like okay you see where the individuals at where the team is and where the whole group is at? Like who’s been running away from computers and still on paper and in 2018 people… there’s some places out there people are 100% on paper. Yeah they are still here mixing drugs or using dial up flows they’re not using pumps and it’s to get someone where they want to flip phone and not using computers to time… they can use computers to understand how Wi-Fi works like I’m in the corner of the computer doesn’t work. It’s like you got to come out of that corner or do it that way you know just little stuff that you wouldn’t think it you got kind of take it for granted. And it’s not an age thing and that’s what I really push with people. It’s individuals where they are and how they’ve used technology in the last decade because some people just taking a nap. I call it a 10-year nap and they wake up like all this stuff is happening and they can’t. It’s not they’re not intelligent you know. Yeah. They just can’t function. And you know when I left the woman knew how to use computers she knew how to use a part you know she accept it. She no longer can make her drugs any more. And she had to accept you know this is how things are going to go and try to ease that change.

Saul Marquez: Yeah. Now I think that’s a it’s a great call out. And what would you say is one of your most proud leadership experiences in healthcare?

Danielle Siarri: Proud leadership experience. I would say to a couple anytime I teach when my students or I’m tutoring or doing any consulting is when the people at the end they get it and they pass to get the A that they want it. They achieve their goal to me like the example of that woman getting her from a flip phone to totally functioning again and have new tools that she can use in her life. That’s a big step. So I would say that those would be my proudest, most people succeeding and seeing them succeed and they take away something that they can use continuously.

Saul Marquez: Love that. Tell us about an exciting project you’re working on.

Danielle Siarri: I have a couple that I’m really really interested in. I’m hiring for the next year. The next season so could be working more on my writing, working more with like individual startups. I’m really fascinated with so that’s going to be coming in the New Year. I don’t want to say quite yet but things that I find really interesting groups and finding really interesting have an opportunity to work with these new companies that maybe three years ago this was even on my radar to do that this would be part of my life. I would say that the last two years of my work coming in I think to next year working with more smaller companies and a few larger ones as well that are doing some new tips and tricks.

Saul Marquez: Yeah.

Danielle Siarri: So I think the coming new year is going to be I think my most exciting time in the last two years.

Saul Marquez: That’s brilliant. If you had to give it a theme, what would you say the theme would be?

Danielle Siarri: Oh that’s a good question. The theme… to me I would say the new theme is everyone whether it’s a large company, small company, the individuals, everyone’s really turning on to being go getters. Like they’re hungry to know how things work.

Saul Marquez: Yeah.

Danielle Siarri: I would say the theme is go getters.

Saul Marquez: Go getters.

Danielle Siarri: People are just staying in one lane and saying it has to be this way, people’s minds are open that you just can’t do one thing. You know like you have to write more, you have to do a podcast. You have to do more research. You just can’t stay in your lane and think fast enough for the future. It’s that you know getting a bachelors, having one job, just staying there for the course of 20 years. That’s kind of over. The ship sailed and over.

Saul Marquez: The ship had sailed people.

Danielle Siarri: The ship has sailed people.

Saul Marquez: And that’s a really interesting point and…

Danielle Siarri: You have do more and not just do more to be busy but you have to create something that’s worthwhile that people can digest. It is not for money. It’s sharing information. So you’re giving something to someone and they could take away and it might not be one month, six months, they’re going to come back. Oh I saw you doing ID TV. Like how do you do I.D. TV? Can you explain that to me? Oh yeah. No problem you stop what you’re doing. I’ll do a little workflow for what’s send it. Okay great. It’s that type of sharing exchange. To me the new mindset is I see the old mindset was “I got mine. Good luck with yours.”.

Saul Marquez: Yeah.

Danielle Siarri: And now it’s like how do we collaborate? How do we come together? How can I help? What can I do for you? And so that’s I think the biggest change is trying to find ways to help others and focusing on that. And it circles back to you. So to me that’s a big shift. You have to do more and you have to get back.

Saul Marquez: Love that. So folks if you’re listening to this. You’re in your lane. Maybe you’re playing outside your lane but encouragement is to get out of your lane and do a little bit more, be purposeful. Follow Danielle’s lead. It is it is truly a the way. And so the theme is go getter. Now check this out. Danielle how about go giver?

Danielle Siarri: I think it’s even better.

Saul Marquez: To be a go getter you’ve got to be a good giver.

Danielle Siarri: You have to give in it doesn’t it might be something small. But my theory always was before I want to leave something better than the way I found them.

Saul Marquez: Yes.

Danielle Siarri: And then now as someone you know contacts me on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and wants to connect. I always find something to give them. Can I give them a free membership tune association. Can I give them free slack to communicate with a broader audience. Like what can I give to make them better and then guide them through.

Saul Marquez: You are the sister I never had.

Danielle Siarri: Because when I started I was walking around the building looking to rap and going “where does all this information been in my life? Like where are these people been. Like no one talked about this. Technology and healthcare. And then I just kind of quietly I learned to listen and for two years I would go to events and I wouldn’t talk to people. If they talk to me, I have to talk. But a lot of time you know just listening because I knew they knew things I didn’t know. And they were of the previous mindset. So they were going to give me the information. I was going to have to really listen and then learn and then go find my tribe. And then I found my tribe of people that are go getters and we do whatever it takes to you know help each other out. And it’s not about I help you so you help me. It is almost like a research paper. You don’t use your words and say “I this is this” you find 12 different references and you write the paper.

Saul Marquez: Yes.

Danielle Siarri: You know you’re featuring other people to validate what you’re saying.

Saul Marquez: Yes

Danielle Siarri: And it’s that mindset. That’s where my lane is right now, is how do I take other people’s words and fashion it to show? This is where I feel things are going. This is what I am interested in. And if anybody’s going that direction I love to hop on your train and share.

Saul Marquez: Well Danielle though the outcomes rocket listeners are in your lane right now thank you for inviting us here. This is fun.

Danielle Siarri: Well I’m glad you enjoy yourself. Thank you so much for your time.

Saul Marquez: Absolutely. Now before we go though we’re almost there. I did want to go through lightning round with you.

Danielle Siarri: Okay.

Saul Marquez: And get your favorite book. I’m sure you have a list of them. But think of that one book that you want to recommend. Are you ready for the lightning?

Danielle Siarri: I’m ready. I’m ready.

Saul Marquez: All right. What’s the best way to improve healthcare outcomes.

Danielle Siarri: To me it’s reading. I read four to six articles every morning over breakfast and coffee and discuss them. So to me someone calls it like old school curation. Reading is sharing information. Can I help you sir buy a whole bunch of newspapers and read them before they start the day. It’s just digital now.

Saul Marquez: Love that.

Danielle Siarri: Just taking that same format and it’s just digital reading every morning.

Saul Marquez: What’s the biggest mistake or pitfall to avoid?

Danielle Siarri: Right now. I feel the trend is it is really weird there’s a lot of ageism. I… I’ll be doing something and someone call me a millennial and I’ll ask them like oh your oh you millennials are. I said “Why do you say that?” Like we’re used to you know how to use technology. I’m like that’s just reading that’s that’s not an age thing. So I think some people underestimate or over assume certain things based on age and I’ll have nine year olds that are on their iPad and hoarding their stuff and mine and I’ll have a 3-year old or 50-year old that does not use a computer. So I think you have to make your best assumptions on people by the way they behave not by their age or their sex or anything like that.

Saul Marquez: I love that. What would you say is the best way to stay relevant despite constant change?

Danielle Siarri: Always think ahead. What what’s happening in your organization? What’s happening maybe in your own company? To me I always want to stay five steps ahead. It means you leave some people behind and aren’t ready but you kind of find the groups that are with you and then the people that want to come along, you bring the ones that along they’re ready yet the other ones that kind of will lay back watch watch and then you know I kind of go laggers. And then when people are ready they’ll come forward. So to stay relevant you have to stay ahead and you have to think ahead and look around what’s happening in your organization and how can you help other people in teams what someone on the other team call you because they see you doing something over here that might help their team. So learning how to do something that nobody else wants to learn how to do is my favorite thing from the expert.

Saul Marquez: Love that. What’s one area of focus that drives everything in what you do?

Danielle Siarri: I have to know how things work. I’m dog. I have to figure out now like our youtube video, I read a book. I do whatever it takes to figure it out even as thinking what you said about books. The only book on my table right now is a book to learn how to be board certified of nursing informatics now read I got a job that day to work on my skill set to prepare for the exam.

Saul Marquez: Pretty cool.

Danielle Siarri: So to me it’s I just have to know how it works.

Saul Marquez: And you know what Danielle that’s powerful. Like for example. And so let me ask you the last question and then we’ll segway. What is your number one success habit?

Danielle Siarri: Number one success habit. I would say honestly it’s reading every day like I’m constantly looking I’m constantly looking at flights I’m constantly looking at conferences I’m constantly looking getting tools and platforms and I don’t look just in my lane like health, health tech. I look at other groups I look at architect groups articles is a gentleman that wrote an article about me and he does this architect in France and he… we met. There was an event where was like hospitals and he was there for the construction piece of the hospital. And I was there for the health tech portion. So having a conversation with him and how did they do project to me build a hospital? Like how did the teams look? Like how does it all come together what… something that I have. She’s come to me like you know we didn’t endorse the Innocence Project Management architect, is there anybody around like that. So I go outside my lanes, I’ll talk to journalists. I’ll talk to tech people because I need to have an overview about what’s going on. There’s some other tool there’s some other trick that’s going someplace else that I can implement that make sure that with my tribe.

Saul Marquez: Love that. Folks, there you have it. And the bottom line is that you know you got to be consistent and be consistent. Danielle reads consistently. She contributes consistently and it’s the old story where there was the grandfather with the grandkids and there was a candle and it was burning and the kids say “Grandpa don’t put your finger in there it’s gonna burn you.” Grandpa says “No, it won’t burn me” so he flashes his finger and there takes it out. And he says “see it did’t burned me.” He does it again. “It didn’t burn me” and the kids are like “no you got to leave it there a little bit longer.” And he’s like “Okay.” And that’s when he used as as an example of… “Okay well you’ve got to clean up your room every single day. And that’s how you get your allowance you know.” And so with anything that we do folks you got to do it a little bit longer.

Danielle Siarri: And the consistency. People would always say “Do what you like. Do you like”. I was like “well how do you do that? You know no one tells you the good or bad she says or how they got there. They don’t tell you that she had to stab somebody in the back or if they actually did the right way. If they fudge their resumé or something you know people are going to tell you those details but the one thing is if you want to be successful once you do you have to be consistent and really stick with it and people gravitate to consistency and that’s totally true.

Saul Marquez: Love that. Yeah. Great message Danielle. And so we’re here to the end. I love if you could just recommend your book and then give us a closing thought.

Danielle Siarri: Oh my. Okay. My book and then have to. And it’s so tattered my poor little book.

Saul Marquez: Do you have it right there with you?

Danielle Siarri: I do I have a… its called a Informatics Nurses Gain, secret guide, the key to success. And it talks a lot about different nurse theories, different things you need for the exam, that stuff that was covered in grad school some stuff was covered in grad school for me. So that’s that’s the book on my on my desk right now.

Saul Marquez: Love it. Great recommendation. Listeners, do you want to get the transcript and the tidbits of wisdom that Danielle shared with us today, just go to outcomesrocket.health and in the search bar type in innonurse or just type in Danielle either way the episode will come up. Full transcript, links, everything that you need to take this episode to the next level and you can also hit rewind and listen to it again. That’s the beauty of podcasting. Danielle give us a closing thought and let us know the best place to follow you and get in touch.

Danielle Siarri: Closing thought. I would say is do what makes you happy and be consistent in it. Enjoy yourself. And to me life is like homework if you do a little bit every day, if you take care of your health a little bit every day, you know a little maintenance, it makes all the difference in the world. So that’s pretty much it for me is always be consistent. Be genuine. That’s what people are looking for in interactions and collaborations and to reach me, innonurse.info is my website you can find me on Twitter and Instagram under innonurse. You can always google me by me on this site search my name and I’m not hiding.

Saul Marquez: I love it. Danielle this has been a blast. Really really appreciate your spirit, your thoughts, and glad you joined us today.

Danielle Siarri: Thanks. I appreciate your time.

Thanks for listening to the Outcomes Rocket podcast. Be sure to visit us on the web at www.outcomesrocket.com for the show notes, resources, inspiration, and so much more.

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