Posted
Closed
Commitment: Short-term
Connection method: Virtual
Open to Vancouver Island Region
Posted
Volunteer Opportunity
The Internal Medicine department at Royal Jubilee Hospital is investigating how to improve safe and timely patient discharge home. Help ensure the patient experience is given a voice!
Lead Organization/Department
Physician Quality Improvement, Island Health
Aim
When a patient is discharged from hospital, it is often delayed by non-medical barriers that can be preventable if addressed early. Patients whose discharges are delayed have an increased risk of medical complications (ex: hospital infections, fall risk). In addition, this causes a domino delay affect to patients waiting in the emergency department.
The Royal Jubilee Hospital Internal Medicine team is hoping to speak with patient partners for brief one to one interviews to learn about their discharge experience, including what worked well, what needs improvement, and how to best get them home in a timely and safe way.
Level of Engagement
This opportunity is at the level of consult on the spectrum of engagement. The promise to you is that the health care partner will listen to and acknowledge your ideas and concerns, and provide feedback on how your input affected the decision.
Eligibility
• Open to patient partners from: Royal Jubilee Hospital
• Personal or family member experience being discharged from Royal Jubilee Hospital, with a preference for those discharged from unit 5N.
• Please note:
– This opportunity, as with all Island Health patient engagement opportunities, is not open to Island Health staff members or patient partners who are currently employed by Island Health. If you have questions regarding this, please email patient.experience@islandhealth.ca
– Applicants must have previously attended a PVN orientation session and completed the Patient Partner Commitments form. If you have not attended an orientation session but you are interested in this opportunity, please contact Charmaine Niebergall directly to see if accommodations may be possible.
– As required by the October 14, 2021 Public Health Order released by the Provincial Health Officer, proof of vaccination is required to access any in-person meetings at an Island Health site. Proof of vaccination can be provided by way of a Vaccination Passport or Vaccination card, along with government issued photo ID. For patient partnership activities that are virtual only (via Zoom, video conference, phone, etc.), proof of vaccination is not required.
Logistics
• Number of vacancies: 5
• Date/Time: to be determined (very flexible options)
• Location: phone or zoom
• Commitment: One 15 to 30 minute, one to one interview, questions will be provided in advance.
Reimbursement
No out-of-pocket expenses are anticipated for this engagement opportunity. However, if you meet the eligibility criteria but have concerns about your ability to participate, please contact Charmaine Niebergall cniebergall@bcpsqc.ca to see if support options are available. We are always seeking to better understand and reduce barriers to participation.
Background
The Royal Jubilee Hospital Internal Medicine team has identified an opportunity to shorten the average length of admission for one of our hospital units. Prevention of discharge home in a timely fashion affects overall hospital and critical care capacity. Patient hospital length of stay is closely monitored by the ward clinical nurse leaders (CNLs). However, often the patient discharge is delayed by non-medical barriers that are often preventable if addressed earlier. In addition, patients whose discharges are delayed have an increased risk of medical complications and adverse events leading to potential further hospitalization.
Once a patient is medically cleared for discharge from the hospital ward at RJH, it is key to hospital flow to have an efficient and safe transition to discharge. Each hour of delay causes a backlog effect of patients in the emergency department (ED) and critical care beds who cannot move to the ward. This causes a longer wait in the ED, and a large strain on the nursing team in the ED.
The Royal Jubilee Hospital Internal Medicine team is hoping to speak with patient partners for brief one to one interviews to learn about their discharge experience, including what worked well, what needs improvement, and how to best get them home in a timely and safe way.
