Quality Safety Week makes the rounds of CIUSSS sites
The annual Safety Week grew into an ambitious month-long event as the Quality team and champions circulated throughout CIUSSS West-Central Montreal to share their timeless message.
Safety Week kicked off in October at the Jewish General Hospital, with over 20 kiosks strategically stationed to offer informative and entertaining updates to staff about safety and Quality initiatives. “We had such a wide range of disciplines circulating—from Nursing to Security to Enviro Services—because safety touches nearly every aspect of patient care,” says Krystle North, a specialist in clinical activities with the Quality team. “Games and quizzes added a fun and interactive twist, and helped to draw in even more participants. Staff eager to test their knowledge and skills were excited to win gift cards and movie tickets!”
Teams covered topics such as fall prevention, medication safety, antimicrobial use, pressure ulcer prevention, perfusion pumps, Patient Experience, infection prevention and control, alternatives to restraints, and suicide prevention. They also touched on the importance of reporting and disclosure of adverse events, Health, Safety and Well-Being in the Workplace, and workplace security.
“In all these areas, as wide-ranging as they might seem, it’s important for staff to review some basic principles so that they can promote best practices, namely that it’s best to be vigilant and identify risks before they become adverse events,” says the Chief of Quality and Risk Management for the Acute Care sector, Lianne Dzygala.
The Quality tour kicked off in November at long-term care, rehabilitation and front line facilities, adapting its message with site-specific topics such as end-of-life care.
“I’d like to acknowledge the incredible engagement of the teams at our facilities,” says Nathalie Trastour, Chief of Quality and Risk Management for rehabilitation, front-line, mental health and dependency and SAPA sites. “They organized activities and sessions to customize and enliven their interactions. Our teams took part wholeheartedly in this special event, but they display an equally impressive commitment, each and every day, to user safety.”
“The tour was an energizing way to round out 2017,” adds Ms. North. “One of our priorities in the upcoming year is to strengthen the partnership between staff and users, with the support of our patient advisors and quality teams. Everyone should feel they play a role in improving the quality of care in our CIUSSS.”
