LHSC leading the way in continuous quality improvement for nursing

LONDON, ON, May 7, 2013 /CNW/ - London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) has been featured in a special issue of the Canadian Journal of Nursing Leadership released this week, highlighting Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) initiatives undertaken throughout the organization.

Front-line management, point-of-care-staff and clinical educators were asked to bring forward issues they felt were critical to patient care, with a goal of finding solutions to improve the patient and employee experience. Over 120 CQI initiatives were developed as a result of this process, and seven of those are profiled in the journal.

"LHSC is honoured to have been chosen for this important issue of the journal, highlighting our staff's tremendous work in hospital safety and patient experience," said LHSC President and CEO, Bonnie Adamson. "This is one more example of the exceptional standard of care our front-line staff is committed to providing, and we thank the Canadian Journal of Nursing Leadership for recognizing these efforts".

Initiatives which have been implemented recently include methods for reducing waste in the critical care units, a project for supporting early colostrum delivery in premature and critically ill newborns, and using simulation as a teaching strategy for nurses being oriented to LHSC.

"The CQI model leverages knowledge at the point of care and provides a structure aimed at building human resources capacity and sustaining enhancements to quality and safe care delivery," said Dr. Vanessa Burkoski, Vice President and Chief Nursing Executive, Quality, Patient Safety and Professional Practice at LHSC. "The improvements from these initiatives range from evidence-based practice integration "firsts" to staff-led process and system redesign."

Andrea Baumann, the Scientific Director of the Nursing Health Services Unit (McMaster University Site) wrote the introduction and provided editorial expertise to the special journal insert, sharing, "LHSC has a commitment to patients and their families to offer compassionate and high-quality care while providing a wide range of services. The work reflected in the papers contained in the Journal's special issue represents the mission of the organization, which emphasizes the spirit of inquiry, scientific discovery and a dedication to lifelong learning."

The special issue of the Canadian Journal of Nursing Leadership can be found here: http://www.longwoods.com/publications/nursing-leadership/23320

A complete listing of the initiatives profiled in the Journal follows this release.

About London Health Sciences Centre
London Health Sciences Centre has been at the forefront of medicine in Canada for 138 years and offers the broadest range of specialized clinical services in Ontario. Building on the traditions of its founding hospitals to provide compassionate care in an academic teaching setting, London Health Sciences Centre is home to Children's Hospital, University Hospital, Victoria Hospital, the Kidney Care Centre, two family medical centres, and two research institutes - Children's Health Research Institute and Lawson Health Research Institute. As a leader in medical discovery and health research, London Health Sciences Centre has a history of over 65 international and national firsts and attracts top clinicians and researchers from around the world. As a regional referral centre, London Health Sciences Centre cares for the most medically complex patients including critically injured adults and children in southwestern Ontario and beyond. The hospital's nearly 15,000 staff, physicians, students and volunteers provide care for more than one million patient visits a year. For more information visit www.lhsc.on.ca

Backgrounder

CQI Initiatives included in the Canadian Journal of Nursing Leadership are:

Reducing Waste in the Critical Care Setting
Mary Beth Billick, Jean Morrow, Shelia Hunt, Jan Kopacz, Virginia Rogan, Kathryn Cowie, Colleen Keeler and Mary Kroh

More than Just a Simple Swish and Spit: Implementation of Oral Care Best Practice in Clinical Neurosciences
Penney Letsos, Lynda Ryall-Henke, Jennifer Beal and Gina Tomaszewski

Mother's Liquid Gold: A Quality Improvement Initiative to Support Early Colostrum Delivery via Oral Immune Therapy (OIT) to Premature and Critically Ill Newborns
Donna Pletsch, Cindy Ulrich, Michelle Angelina, Gail Fernandes and David Lee

Lunch Bunch: Improving Hospital Stay for Sub Acute Medicine Patients
Margot Feyerer, Dawn Kruk, Nicole Bartlett, Kathy Rodney, Cyndi McKenzie, Patrice Green, Lisa Keller and Pat Adcroft

The Effectiveness of Superficial Subcutaneous Lidocaine Administration Prior to Femoral Artery Sheath Removal Laura Davison, Anne McVety and Tara Oke

Collaborating to Unfold Hospital Orientation: Using Simulation as a Teaching Strategy
Karilyn Lamers, Lisa Janisse, Gail Brown and Carol Butler

Building a Healthy Work Environment: A Nursing Resource Team Perspective
Leslie Vaughan and Trisha Slinge

SOURCE: London Health Sciences Centre

For media inquiries contact:       

Kathy Leblanc
Corporate Communications and Public Relations
London Health Sciences Centre
519-685-8500, ext. 74772
[email protected]

After-hours assistance:

Call LHSC Switchboard at 519-685-8500 and ask to page the communication consultant on-call