scholarly journals Alberta Health Services Emergency Strategic Clinical Network Quality Improvement and Innovation forum 2021

2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-2
Author(s):  
Patrick McLane ◽  
Eddy Lang
Keyword(s):  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Clinical Network ◽  
Education Group ◽  
Network Quality ◽  
New Feature ◽  
Online Format ◽  
Funding Opportunities ◽  
The University ◽  
Alberta Health

The Alberta Health Services Emergency Strategic Clinical Network Quality Improvement and Innovation forum 2021. Patrick McLane and Eddy Lang on behalf of the Emergency Strategic Clinical Network Evidence-based research and quality improvement work are pivotal to health systems meeting their goals. Translating findings and disseminating innovative practices to new settings occurs in part through knowledge translation events, such as conferences and workshops. The Emergency Strategic Clinical NetworkTM (ESCN) Quality Improvement and Innovation forum fills a gap between local and national events. It is devoted to sharing methods and results of emergency department projects in Alberta among those working in emergency care. 2021 was the third consecutive year the ESCN has held this event. The event provides an opportunity for those working on quality improvement in emergency medicine to network with one another, share innovative projects, share know how and translate promising works to new settings. In addition, the event provides an opportunity to identify projects for potential development through local, provincial, or national funding opportunities. In light of the ongoing pandemic, this year’s forum was held virtually with the support of the University of Calgary Continuing Medical Education group. Funding was kindly provided by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta. Nineteen teams presented their projects orally. Invited nurse and clinician scientists ranked all submissions to the forum, and the top ranked submissions were recognized in the following categories:Submissions by ESCN staff and the event sponsor were not eligible for recognition. A new feature this year was a presentation by ESCN patient advisors on their perspectives on quality improvement, which was well received by all. Strong attendance shows the value practitioners see in the forum. In 2021, the forum was attended by approximately 140 educators, managers, nurses, physicians and researchers from across Alberta. This is a marked increase over previous years. Post-event evaluation survey feedback suggests that the online format was greatly appreciated and made the event more accessible. Requests for more rural oriented content in event feedback may also indicate that the event drew more rural attendees this year. We are pleased to partner with the Canadian Journal of Emergency Nursing to make abstracts from the event widely available. Individual presenters have had the option of submitting their abstracts for publication in CJEN. In some instances, abstracts have already been published through other conferences and so could not be submitted to CJEN. The findings presented in the abstracts are solely the work of the submitting authors. The ESCN does not guarantee the accuracy of any reported information. The views expressed in the abstracts are solely the views of the authors and do not represent the ESCN or Alberta Health Services. Correspondence to: [email protected]

scholarly journals An Academic Research Coach: An Innovative Approach to Increasing Scholarly Productivity in Medicine

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (8) ◽  
pp. 457-461 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christy M McKinney ◽  
Somnath Mookherjee ◽  
Stephen D Fihn ◽  
Thomas H Gallagher
Keyword(s):  
Internal Medicine ◽  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Health Services ◽  
General Internal Medicine ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Scholarly Work ◽  
Faculty Development Program ◽  
General Internal ◽  
The University

BACKGROUND: Academic faculty who devote most of their time to clinical work often struggle to engage in meaningful scholarly work. They may be disadvantaged by limited research training and limited time. Simply providing senior mentors and biostatistical support has limited effectiveness. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to increase productivity in scholarly work of hospitalists and internal medicine physicians by integrating an Academic Research Coach into a robust faculty development program. DESIGN: This was a pre-post quality improvement evaluation. SETTING: This was conducted at the University of Washington in faculty across three academic-affiliated hospitals and 10 academic-affiliated clinics. PARTICIPANTS: Participants were hospitalists and internists on faculty in the Division of General Internal Medicine at the University of Washington. INTERVENTION: The coach was a 0.50 full time equivalent health services researcher with strong research methods, project implementation, and interpersonal skills. The coach consulted on research, quality improvement, and other scholarship. MEASUREMENTS: We assessed the number of faculty supported, types of services provided, and numbers of grants, papers, and abstracts submitted and accepted. RESULTS: The coach consulted with 49 general internal medicine faculty including 30 hospitalists who conducted 63 projects. The coach supported 13 publications, 11 abstracts, four grant submissions, and seven manuscript reviews. Forty-eight faculty in other departments benefited as co-authors. CONCLUSION: Employing a dedicated health services researcher as part of a faculty development program is an effective way to engage clinically oriented faculty in meaningful scholarship. Key aspects of the program included an accessible and knowledgeable coach and an ongoing marketing strategy.

scholarly journals The Utility of Interaction Design as a Novel Tool to Improve Hand Hygiene Frequency on a Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Ward

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. s411-s411
Author(s):  
Johanna Blaak ◽  
Rachel DiMaio ◽  
Julia Kupis ◽  
Ross Sweetzir ◽  
Conny Betuzzi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Services ◽  
Hand Hygiene ◽  
Interaction Design ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Cell Transplant ◽  
Children's Hospital ◽  
University Of Calgary ◽  
Children’S Hospital ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Alberta Health

Johanna Blaak, W21C, University of Calgary; Rachel DiMaio, University of Calgary; Julia Kupis, University of Calgary; Ross Sweetzir, Cisco Systems; Conny Betuzzi, Alberta Children’s Hospital, Alberta Health Services; Corey Dowler, Alberta Children’s Hospital, Alberta Health Services; Krista McIntytre, Alberta Children’s Hospital, Alberta Health Services; Jaime Kaufman, University of Calgary; Greg Hallihan, University of Calgary; John Conly, Foothills Medical Centre; Joseph Vayalumkal, Alberta Childrens HospitalBackground: Interaction design offers a novel interventional strategy to enhance hand-hygiene compliance (HHC) and reduce hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) in the pediatric setting. A quality improvement initiative in collaboration with the University of Calgary and Alberta Health Services led to the implementation of a pilot project with sensor-embedded alcohol -based hand rub (ABHR) dispensers at a hematology-oncology and hematopoietic stem cell transplant unit at Alberta Children’s Hospital (ACH). Methods: Internet of things (IoT) sensors were installed in ABHR dispensers (n = 3) on the unit. Usage data were transmitted to a local server using an MQTT messaging protocol for 16 weeks. Real-time data visualization was presented on a central display next to the nursing station with 11 unique pediatric themes including dinosaurs, transportation, and Canadian animals. Data were collected with and without visualization, and frequency of use (FoU) was determined for both periods. Qualitative interviews with unit stakeholders (n = 13) were held to determine perceptions of the intervention. Results: During the first 8 weeks of the study period, the mean daily use without visualization was 47 times (SD, 14.5) versus 99 times (SD, 23.9) with visualization. When accounting for novelty, by removing the first week of data, the mean daily use was 92 (SD 19.6). The percentage increase from period 1 to period 2 was 96.6%, accounting for novelty. Qualitative interviews with stakeholders (n = 13) on the unit indicated that the intervention increased their personal awareness of hand hygiene (75%) and acted as a constant reminder to perform hand hygiene for everyone on the unit including nonclinical staff, patients, and family members (92%). Conclusions: These limited data suggest that interaction design may improve HH frequency and show promise as a tool for increased HH awareness and education. Interaction design provides a unique, innovative, and acceptable hand hygiene improvement strategy for staff, patients, and families in the pediatric inpatient setting.Funding: NoneDisclosures: None

Clinical quality improvement project: finding a repeatable approach for improving STAT lab testing

2003 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Lynette Lutes ◽  
Sarvesh Logsetty ◽  
Jan McGuinness ◽  
Joan M. Carlson
Keyword(s):  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Improvement Project ◽  
Clinical Quality ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Improved Performance ◽  
The University ◽  
Culture Of Quality ◽  
Quality Process ◽  
Clinical Quality Improvement

Explores the development of a clinical quality improvement pilot project at the University of Alberta Hospital and Stollery Children’s Hospital which aimed to establish a team of individuals that could disseminate a culture of quality improvement and develop a framework for a quality process that could be replicated and repeated. Outcomes of the clinical pilot project included improved performance as well as opportunities to learn some key lessons around team membership and involvement.

Online Bridging Program for new international palliative medicine fellows: development and evaluation

2021 ◽  
pp. bmjspcare-2020-002797
Author(s):  
Hanan Al-Mohawes ◽  
Madelaine Amante ◽  
Breffni Hannon ◽  
Camilla Zimmermann ◽  
Ebru Kaya ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Medicine ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Fellowship Training ◽  
International Medical Graduates ◽  
Medical Graduates ◽  
Usability Tests ◽  
Online Format ◽  
The University

ObjectivesInternational medical graduates (IMGs) who pursue additional training in another country may encounter unique challenges that compromise their learning experience. This paper describes the development of an Online Bridging Program in the Division of Palliative Care at the University Health Network Toronto and examines its effectiveness in improving IMGs’ readiness for Canadian fellowship training.MethodsThe annual Online Bridging Program was developed to help new IMGs transitioning to Canadian palliative fellowship using Kern’s framework for curriculum development. Following a needs assessment, eight online modules with weekly live sessions were developed and underwent external content validation and usability tests. After each iteration, the programme was improved based on participant feedback. Evaluation was conducted first through an online survey immediately on completion of the programme and then through qualitative interviews 6 months into the fellowship. The interviews were analysed using Braun and Clarke’s model for thematic analysis.ResultsNine IMGs participated in the Online Bridging Program from 2018 to 2020. All nine participated in the survey and eight in the interviews. Responses to the online survey were almost unanimously positive, suggesting its effectiveness in assisting the IMGs’ transitions into fellowship. The interviews revealed four major themes: the importance of combining online modules and live sessions, reducing the fellows’ anxiety and easing the transition into their new role, an improved overall learning experience and recognising online format limitations.ConclusionThe Online Bridging Program effectively eased IMG palliative medicine fellows’ transition into training and enhanced their learning experience.

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