By Dr. Frank Martino and Tiziana Rivera
In 2019, William Osler Health System (Osler) embarked on a transformational quality and patient safety journey aligned with its strategic focus on quality excellence. Embracing a visionary and purposeful approach, Osler developed a more robust corporate quality infrastructure that reaffirmed accountability for quality and patient safety at the individual, program, corporate and governance levels of the organization. Osler has been proactively working to instill a long-term best practice mindset across the organization.
In the two years that followed, Osler found itself facing the stark realities of the COVID-19 pandemic as its hospitals tested, vaccinated and treated people in one the hardest hit communities in Ontario. Discussions about quality and patient safety took on a heightened urgency, accelerating the implementation of strategic initiatives that would equip teams to continue to deliver safe, quality care under incredibly challenging circumstances.
Among the most significant of those initiatives was the roll-out of digitally-driven iHuddle Boards in late 2020 to transform how Osler’s clinical teams manage quality and safety, review unit/program performance, and collaborate on key organizational initiatives. The large digital touchscreens in each unit are designed to visually translate Osler’s corporate strategic directions in a manner that is as meaningful to frontline teams as it is to the executive team and Board. They enable senior leaders to share strategic, operational, and quality metrics with clinical units in real-time, so that everyone is working with the same data to enable evidence-informed decision-making at both the unit level and organization-wide.
When Accreditation Canada surveyors visited Osler in 2021 and 2022, they identified the iHuddle Boards as an organizational strength, recognizing their effectiveness in supporting staff and physician communication, collaboration, engagement and quality improvement, particularly in reinforcing the integration of required organizational practices (ROPs) into daily work. Through a separate evaluation process, the iHuddle Boards and process were recognized as a global leading practice by the Health Standards Organization (HSO) and Accreditation Canada.
Osler’s pursuit of quality excellence was further strengthened in November 2021, when Osler began a three-year journey to become a globally recognized Best Practice Spotlight Organization (BPSO) thanks to a partnership with the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO). Osler’s journey to achieve BPSO designation signifies its long-term commitment to deliver the highest standards of care to patients. Among the evidence-based best practice guidelines that nursing and interprofessional teams are working to implement is Preventing Falls & Reducing Injury from Falls, which is the number one patient safety incident reported through Osler’s PSIM Framework.
During the pandemic, Osler also initiated a standardized, team-based approach to patient safety incident management (PSIM) to improve reporting, staff, physician, patient and family engagement and response to patient safety incidents. Implementation of the PSIM Framework has led to enhanced corporate oversight for incident management, greater staff, physician and patient engagement in the process, a significant increase in the reporting of incidents, and an increase in the number of reports for incident types that had been historically underreported. The PSIM Framework is a testament to staff, physicians, leaders, and Osler’s Patient and Family Advisory Council members who collaborated to co-create a non-punitive, evidence-based and inclusive approach to patient safety incident reporting.
With their resilience put to the test on multiple fronts throughout the pandemic, Osler’s staff and physicians have not only succeeded in sustaining quality and patient safety standards during this time – in many cases they have exceeded them. That was borne out in 2022, during which time Osler earned Accreditation Canada’s highest rating, the Accredited with Exemplary Standing designation; was nationally acknowledged by the Canadian College of Health Leaders (CCHL) as the recipient of the prestigious 2022 Excellence in Patient Safety Award for its approach to patient safety incident management; and was recognized by the Health Standards Organization (HSO) and Accreditation Canada for five global leading practices that improve quality and patients’ lives.
Building on a strong history of supporting physician and clinician training, Osler is working as the primary hospital partner with Toronto Metropolitan University to develop a School of Medicine in Brampton. This represents a significant opportunity to teach and train home-grown talent and strengthen health human resources capacity across the region. This will also create new opportunities to expand Osler’s clinical and applied research program through academic and clinical partnerships that support Osler’s evolution into an academic health centre.
In a year in which Osler marked the 50th Anniversary of Etobicoke General Hospital, the 15th Anniversary of Brampton Civic Hospital, and the 5th Anniversary of Peel Memorial Centre for Integrated Health and Wellness, it is proud to build on the rich legacies of the teams that came before. Looking ahead, Osler will continue to embrace transformative thinking and a best practice mindset to ensure the further advancement of its commitment to quality so that the community continues to receive safe, quality, compassionate care now and into the future.
Dr. Frank Martino, is President and CEO, William Osler Health System; Tiziana Rivera is Vice President, Quality and Chief Nur
