Vernon Jubilee Hospital Rapid Process Improvement Workshop – Emergency Department Vulnerable Patient/Quick Response

Do you have an interest to improve the patient journey through the Vernon Emergency Department and overall quality care for patients that may be deemed vulnerable or at risk?

Open to: Volunteers in Vernon and surrounding area

Lead Organization or Department

Interior Health

Aim

Interior Health staff are working on a quality improvement project to improve and/or enhance the patient experience from the time that they see a nurse at registration to the time that they are admitted or discharged from the emergency department. The aim is to look at early identification of vulnerable (or at risk) patients at the time of registration with the nurse, communication between the physician and the care team as well as the referral and support processes that currently exist with the outreach community care teams. The goal is to focus on the patient population that is identified as vulnerable and would benefit from additional supports. The purpose to engage patient(s) in this work is to appreciate their perspective of the patient journey through the emergency department.

Level of Engagement

This opportunity is at the level of collaborate (at a local community or program level) on the spectrum of engagement (www.iap2.org). The promise to you is that the health care partner will look to you for advice in decision making, developing alternatives, and solutions and include your recommendations into the decision as much as possible.

Eligibility

• Experience (ideally) as a vulnerable patient at Vernon Jubilee Hospital Emergency Department or supporting a family member
• Experience working in a group setting
• Comfortable sharing your story/experience
• Some familiarity with data analysis would be ideal
• Patients should have previously attended a PVN orientation session.  If you have not attended an orientation but are interested please contact the Engagement Leader directly to see if accommodations may be possible
• If you feel you have limited experience but are interested, we welcome you to RSVP

Logistics

• Vacancy: 1
• February 20-23, 2017 8:00 – 4:00pm, February 24^th 8:00 – 12:30 pm
• If the partient partner is only available to attend a portion of the week, Monday/Tuesday is prefeferred
• Location - In-person at Vernon Jubilee Hospital
• Follow up participation at the 90 day meeting (1 hour) is optional

Reimbursement

• Parking
• Reimbursement at hospital cafeteria for lunch

Background

Interior Health is committed to Lean Methodology as a tool to assist in quality improvements. Rapid process improvement workshops are one of the lean tools and allow us to spend dedicated time to rapidly identify improvement opportunities and trial them. We are currently focusing on improvements in patient access and flow to ensure the right patient is in the right place at the right time. The team will be made up of nurses, physicians, allied health professionals and other care providers. This work will involve time in the Emergency Department and we must make all efforts to ensure patient privacy and confidentiality. Vulnerable Patients: Include frail, elderly, mentally or physically challenged, unaccompanied minors, victims of assault, cognitive impairment due to medical treatment which affects ability to function independently, mental health/substance use issues and/or homeless.

Health Care Partner Contact Information

Carol Stathers
Engagement Leader, Patient and Public Engagement | Okanagan, Interior Region
778.516.3308
cstathers@bcpsqc.ca