Information Management
Electronic whiteboard
We continued to expand use of our electronic whiteboard technology across our sites, focusing on developing a specially tailored version in the TWH Operating Room (OR), which has significantly enhanced patient safety and allowed staff to more easily communicate across the OR units. The whiteboard displays real-time clinical information such as the case schedule, patient arrival times, notifications and patient tracking throughout the OR units, resulting in streamlined, real-time patient status information that is accessible to all OR staff.
ALC and emergency wait times
As part of our ongoing strategy to reduce emergency wait times, we have turned our attention to improving management of Alternate Level of Care (ALC) patients—patients who have finished their acute treatment, but remain in acute care beds. These patients are blocked from admission to post-acute care in the community due to capacity constraints, leading to overcrowding on inpatient units and emergency departments.
Our ALC project examined ways to improve patient flow from UHN to our health care partners to ensure patients have timely and equitable access to services, receiving the right care, at the right time and in the right place. A multidisciplinary team of clinical leaders and staff, alongside project management experts and technical specialists from SIMS, collaborated on a three-pronged approach to reduce the number of ALC patients and their length of stay at UHN by 10 percent.
We implemented enhanced ALC documentation through the electronic patient record across all three sites, allowing us to accurately and quickly identify ALC patients. In addition, thanks to enhanced partnerships with post-acute facilities, such as Toronto Rehab, we are pleased to be able to transfer more patients to the appropriate level of care and consequently improve our Emergency Department wait times.
Medication reconciliation
Medication reconciliation is essential to patient safety. To prevent medication discrepancies, a comprehensive medication list is gathered upon admission to hospital, allowing us to reconcile any discrepancies between the list and medication orders throughout the patient’s stay at UHN. Our Electronic Medication Information Transfer Tool (EMITT) has been expanded from its initial use on the General Internal Medicine Unit at TGH through the entire organization. EMITT ensures synchronized medication information is consistently communicated amongst health care staff as patients move through their treatment. After discharge, the tool transfers correct medication information to patients and community health care professionals as required, enhancing patient safety beyond the patient’s stay at UHN.
The multidisciplinary group of pharmacists, physicians, nurses and SIMS staff who developed EMITT were honoured with a National Commitment to Care Award, which recognizes innovations in pharmacy practice.
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