CGMH's surgical program nominated for top commitment to QI
The Collingwood General and Marine Hospital's surgical program was recently nominated by Health Quality Ontario (HQO), as one of five organizations in the province that displays a top commitment to quality improvement methodology, in the pursuit of better surgical outcomes, through the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP).
An international program developed by the American College of Surgeons in 1994, NSQIP is the leading nationally validated, risk-adjusted, outcomes-based program to measure and improve the quality of surgical care. It looks at 14 specific outcomes, across nearly 700 hospitals around the world.
The program is designed to improve the quality of care before, during and after an operation. It includes outcomes even after a patient leaves the hospital, which is when some complications may develop. It also provides hospital members with best practices and programs to reduce the risk of complications specific to their data, and to make every stage of surgery as safe and effective as possible.
Over the past year, the hospital has worked hard to reduce its Surgical Site Infection rate from 3.41% in (15/16) to 2.46% in (16/17). This was achieved through strong teamwork by the entire surgical team and supporting departments such as Health Information Systems.
"I am proud of the teams' great work and commitment to improving the quality of surgical care that we provide. This is a great example of how a partnership with Health Quality Ontario, CGMH caregivers and the community can result in real improvements. This will decrease CGMH health care costs and will have a very positive impact on our patients' lives," says Dr. Michael Lisi, Chief of Staff and NSQIP CGMH surgeon lead.
Through identified quality improvement initiatives and in consultation with the clinical best practice guidelines, the hospital implemented a number of changes including tighter body temperature control, antibiotic selection and timing, and changing the type and process of antiseptic washing.
The findings are also noted in Quality Surgery: Improving Surgical Care in Ontario, a new public report by Health Quality Ontario that was released on November 23, 2017. A CGMH patient story was featured in this report.
Norah Holder, President and CEO notes, "I'm extremely proud of all those involved for all of the hard work that has gone into bettering patient outcomes and improving surgical quality and care."
The new public report shows that 29 Ontario hospitals participating in the NSQIP performed just as well or better than their international peers on key metrics before, during and after surgery. The report also showed areas for improvement.
The hospital's participation in this program was made possible by generous supporters including TD Bank, Reinhart Foods, Ice River Springs and the CGMH Foundation Giving Circle.