It was a busy week in our Hospital last week so thank you to all those who participated in the various activities for Canadian Patient Safety Week 2023.
If you missed attending one of the Healthcare Excellence Canada webinars, you can still watch by clicking on the links below:
October 24 – Rethinking Patient Safety
October 25 – Stories from the Field: Inclusive Care – Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Learning Exchange
October 26 – Safe and Respectful First Nations, Inuit and Metis Maternal and Newborn Care
Congratulations again to our Patient Safety Trivia Winners: Caroline Santorelli, Kelly Botterill, Madyson Weir, Kaileigh Bell, and Dianne DaSilva! Thanks to all who played!
Slido participants provided some great suggestions for the poll “What Small Change could make a Big Impact on Safer Care?” which will be considered when drafting our next Patient Safety Plan.
For those who participated in our “Digging for Dinosaurs” Dotmocracy – the results are in! Needless clutter may result in time focused on tasks that do not add value to the care and safety of our patients. There may be clutter present that contributes to or distracts from safety. We asked what area of clutter you felt we should focus on improving. The majority of participants felt we should focus on improving clutter as a result of unnecessary waiting – periods of inactivity in a downstream process that occur because an upstream activity does not produce/deliver on time. In the coming months, we will be taking a closer look at this area and how we can implement Quality Improvement initiatives to provide safer care.
If you have any questions or feedback regarding Canadian Patient Safety Week please reach out to Terry Fodë, Patient Safety Improvement Specialist, at terry.fode@tbh.net or extension 6754.
Shared on behalf of Wayne Taylor, Director Cardiovascular, Medicine & Renal Programs
We are pleased to announce that Cassandra Tavares has accepted the TFT position of Administrative Assistant, Cardiovascular Surgery Program Management & Cardiovascular Services. Cassandra will provide administrative support to Wayne Taylor, Director, Cardiovascular, Medicine & Renal Program and will also support our Cardiovascular Surgery Project development team.
Cassandra joins us from our Cardiac Diagnostics department where she has provided front line care to many patients within our organization with a specific passion for working with our cardiovascular population.
I am confident that with Cassandra’s experience and enthusiasm she will be a great addition to our team. Please join us in welcoming Cassandra to her new role, taking effect Tuesday, November 7, 2023.
Shared on behalf of Adam Vinet, VP Patient Experience, Chief Nursing Executive, Regional VP Regional Cancer Centre
We continue to see an increase in the number of respiratory-related illnesses within our Inpatient Clinical Units and respiratory-related visits in our Emergency Department. As the level of viral respiratory activity increases within our communities, and to reduce further impacts on our care services, we will be stepping up our masking requirements effective Wednesday, November 1, 2023.
Please note that as of November 1st, masking will be required for all areas that provide clinical care services, including waiting areas. Masking will be required by all staff, professional staff, learners, volunteers and Essential Care Partners/Care Partners (ECPs/CPs) when entering an area that provides clinical care.
Effective immediately, masking will be required within the following areas at all times:
All Inpatient Units
All Departments and Outpatient Units where clinical services are provided, including waiting areas
Emergency Department – all areas including the waiting areas
Cancer Centre – all areas including waiting areas
Transitional Care Unit (TCU)
Additionally, all staff, professional staff, learners, volunteers and Essential Care Partners/Care Partners (ECPs/CPs) are encouraged to maintain six feet of physical distancing and if not able then wear a level 3 mask.
We ask that you please abide by the above requirements to prevent further steps towards mandatory masking facility-wide. As well, abide by any additional IPAC protocols and practice proper hand hygiene.
Public communication and signage will be provided to support the above requirements.
Further communication will occur on this topic as required.
Thank you for your commitment to keeping our patients, staff and Hospital safe. If you have any questions, please ask your manager or reach out to IPAC (684-6094) for further details on best practices.
This fall has been a very busy one. So, let me just jump right into this month’s blog by thanking everyone involved in the Sharing and Caring Together events that took place this past week. The events were well attended and provided us many reflections on our Patient and Family Centred Care (PFCC) philosophy that we have grown throughout the years and the many ways we have advanced and extended the program and our ongoing commitment to PFCC.
To further celebrate and emphasize our philosophy, this year the Foundation’s Family CARE Grants submissions coincided with the PFCC events. I was impressed and motivated when hearing about the numerous submissions that described innovative approaches to improving care and making it a better experience for patients and families.
The number of applications truly demonstrates that each and every one of us is keenly aware and committed to the importance of putting patients and families at the centre of our work. Thank you all for your ideas and your passion – no doubt the review committee will have their work cut out for them when making the decisions about the grants.
This month it was a pleasure to have many of you involved as we welcomed Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones to our Hospital. Throughout the Minister’s visit, we toured various areas of the Hospital and provided an overview on areas where more support is needed. Overall, the visit provided us the opportunity to showcase our Hospital and at the same time enlighten the Minister on our uniqueness, our innovations and our challenges in providing health care in Northwestern Ontario.
Huge kudos to everyone involved as Ontario Health (Trillium Gift of Life Network [TGLN]) presented our Hospital this month with an achievement award for its dedication to open communication about organ and tissue donation. Our Hospital has been honoured with the Provincial Eligible Approach Rate Award, an award presented to hospitals who exceeded TGLN’s target of 90 per cent in having organ and tissue donation discussions with eligible patients and families. This is the first year that our Hospital has received this award, reaching an eligible approach rate of 97 percent. Great work!
Given the stress and pace of your everyday jobs, I would like to take a moment to talk about self-care as it relates to the risks of stroke. World Stroke Day was this past weekend (October 29). It’s a day to raise awareness of the serious nature and high rates of stroke, talk about prevention and treatment and ensure better care and support for survivors.
One in four of us will have a stroke in our lifetime. Ninety percent of those strokes could be prevented by addressing a small number of risk factors including high blood pressure (hypertension), irregular heartbeat (atrial fibrillation), smoking, diet and exercise. If you want to learn more, visit https://bit.ly/WSD-Campaign-2023. For more information about stroke care in our region, visit www.nwostroke.ca.
As you know, earlier this month, we launched our internal flu campaign as an important step in protecting patients, families, ourselves and our loved ones. There are many ways you can get the flu shot throughout our city, including right here in our Hospital’s flu clinics and roaming carts. I encourage you all to roll up your sleeves and get that added layer of protection.
Speaking of protection, please continue to be vigilant with wearing masks in designated clinical areas and as required throughout the Hospital. As well, adhering to good hand hygiene practices are a must and support a healthier workplace while protecting more than just ourselves. I can’t stress that enough and appreciate all those who continue to practice proper hand washing technique and masking protocols. Let’s keep it going as we have entered respiratory illness season.
Looking ahead now, please take note that next month we are launching our 2023 Employee and Professional Staff Engagement Survey. You will start to hear more about this in the coming weeks. We hope you will take part in this important activity that will allow us to get a better understanding about your work preferences and ideas that will contribute to making our Hospital and Health Research Institute community the best place to work, grow and thrive.
Finally, this month we celebrated Thanksgiving, a time to reflect and appreciate all the good we have. In the spirit of gratitude, please know that I am grateful for all the work you and your teams do and the collective efforts that have an end result of providing exceptional care to our patients in the communities we serve. Thank you for your ongoing professionalism, compassion and endurance.
I appreciate you reading these blogs and invite you to share any topics you would like included in upcoming blogs. As always, I can be reached at Rhonda.Ellacott@tbh.net for any questions about this content or any other matter.
Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC) celebrated 14 successful years of Patient and Family Centred Care (PFCC) with the return of the annual Sharing and Caring Together Exhibition on Friday, October 27.
PFCC is the provision of care that is respectful of, and responsive to, individual patient and family preferences, needs and values, and ensures that the patient is at the centre of everything.
“PFCC is a journey, and we continuously identify and implement new ways to improve patient experiences,” said Dr. Rhonda Crocker Ellacott, President and CEO of TBRHSC and CEO of Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute. “The Sharing and Caring Together Exhibition is an ideal opportunity for us to reflect on the many benefits of PFCC and to celebrate some of our recent patient-centred initiatives.”
Some of the recent successes that were highlighted at the Sharing and Caring Together Exhibition include:
The Paediatric MRI machine that uses cinema goggles, a tool that helps support children while undergoing an MRI.
A new Eat, Sleep, Console initiative which offers a more family centred approach to the evaluation and treatment for infants born to parents who struggle with substance use.
How the introduction of personal support workers have improved Patient and Family Centred Care on the surgical floor.
“PFCC is not something that just happens. It’s about making an intentional commitment to working in collaborative partnerships with patients and families,” said Dr. Crocker Ellacott. “These successes would not be possible if it weren’t for the dedication of our talented staff, physicians, nurses, clinicians, volunteers, and learners. They have helped to shape a corporate culture that is grounded in PFCC and continues to grow and improve with each passing year.”
The Patient and Family Advisor (PFA) Council is key to helping TBRHSC achieve its goals. The Council consists of nearly 80 diverse and dedicated volunteers, who, based on their own past experiences, participate on interview panels for leadership positions, attend each council meeting, review policies, and provide input to guide new initiatives and revise existing ones.
“PFAs are involved in every area of the Hospital and do their best to represent the needs of all the patients in Thunder Bay and across Northwestern Ontario”, said Paul Carr, Co-Chair of the Patient Family Advisor Council. “The Sharing and Caring Together Exhibition is a great way for us to acknowledge all staff, health care professionals and volunteers who have embraced the philosophy of PFCC which in turn helps us to provide exceptional care to every patient, every time.”
To learn more about Patient and Family Centred Care, or how to become a PFA, please visit www.tbrhsc.net or contact TBRHSC.PFCC@tbh.net.
Dr. Christopher Mushquash was awarded the Canada Gairdner Momentum Award “For Indigenous-led mental health and substance use research that leads to culturally and contextually appropriate services for Indigenous children, adolescents, and adults.”
Dr. Mushquash, Ph.D., C.Psych., is Anishinawbe (Ojibway), and a member of Pawgwasheeng (Pays Plat First Nation). He is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at Lakehead University, and the Northern Ontario School of Medicine University, Clinical Psychologist at Dilico Anishinabek Family Care, Vice President Research at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, and Chief Scientist at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute.
He is also Director of the Centre for Rural and Northern Health Research at Lakehead University. Dr. Mushquash is a Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Mental Health and Addiction, with expertise in rural and northern clinical practice and the development of culturally appropriate interventions for mental health and addiction difficulties in First Nations children, adolescents, and adults. He is a researcher, clinician, and First Nation scholar who was born and raised in rural Northwestern Ontario.
The Maternity Centre at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC) provides prenatal care for the residents of Thunder Bay and surrounding region. Our team is committed to providing evidence-based maternity care that is safe, respectful and culturally sensitive.
No referrals are necessary to access care at the Maternity Centre.
During pregnancy, you are welcome to call the Maternity Centre to schedule an appointment with one of our prenatal care providers. All of our programs are accessible with your Ontario health card.
Keep an eye out for our “Maternity Centre Mondays”, a series where we will be sharing information on services available, pre- and postnatal health, birth statistics and more.
Are you or your patients experiencing difficulties that might be solved with a digitally-enabled service?
We are seeking clinicians who want to mentor teams of Lakehead MBA students to design digital products and services that improve healthcare delivery and other healthcare-related processes. This will be part of a project for the BUSI 5035 – Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship course at Lakehead University from January to April 2024, taught by Dr. Michael S. Dohan.
Projects will take place between January and April, 2024.
These projects will employ a Design Thinking approach
Design Thinking is a user-centered problem-solving approach that involves understanding user needs, generating creative ideas, prototyping, testing, and iterating until a successful outcome is achieved. It can be used to address problems experienced by your patients or fellow employees, as it will result in a digital product or service that has been researched and validated by the people who experience the problem.
Watch this video for a successful story on design thinking:
Deliverables
A report will be provided to you, detailing
The investigation into the root cause of the problem that you are experiencing
A prototype for a digitally-enabled solution to the problem that has been validated by several users
A cost benefit (ROI) analysis for said solution
Commitments
Provide information on the problem, intended users of the solution, stakeholders, potential resources and other details on a brief project intake form by December 15th.
Meet with student groups on Lakehead Campus (or via zoom) mid January
Arrange for three or four interview participants to meet with the group on near the end of January on Lakehead Campus (or via zoom)
Provide written feedback periodically throughout the semester
Attend a final presentation in late March on Lakehead Campus (or via zoom)
For more information, please contact Dr. Michael S. Dohan, Director of the Lakehead University Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Research (CIER) at msdohan@lakeheadu.ca
