1. Prevention of Adverse Drug Events

The Kirkland and District Hospital has joined the Safer Healthcare Now Campaign and is committed to the prevention of adverse drug events.  Clients are encouraged to bring in their medications in their labeled containers and/or to bring in an updated medication list to all medical appointments.  A best possible medication history is compiled and compared against admission medication orders and reconciled so that clients receive their medications as intended.  The Medication Reconciliation Committee will continue to work on processes to improve medication reconciliation on admission, at transition points of care and at discharge.

2. Prevention of Ventilator Associated Pneumonia

The organization plans to implement four best practices in 2007/08 that, when applied together, have been proven to substantially improve outcomes when clients must be ventilated.  This includes elevating the head of the bed to between 30-45 degrees, daily “sedation vacation” and assessment of readiness to extubate by performing a spontaneous breathing trial, use of oral versus nasal tubes for access to the trachea or stomach, and use of specially designed endotracheal tubes, called EVAC tubes, for the drainage of subglottic secretions.

3. Workplace Wellness

The organization’s Workplace Wellness Committee continues to look for exciting and innovative ways to improve workplace wellness, while meeting employee’s needs.  All employees were invited to complete a workplace wellness survey in June 07.  The organization partners with other organizations to facilitate programs and services to promote health and wellness.  The Workplace Wellness Committee also works with our Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committee.  We offer the use of our gym facilities to staff and their families, offer payroll deduction for registration fees to the Joe Mavrinac Community Complex, Vic’s Fitness Center and On the Run.  They have implemented a squash ladder, walking program, therapeutic touch, and have advocated and promoted the Big Bike for Heart and Stroke, the annual volleyball and golf tournament, car rally and curling.  Smoking cessation material is made available and staff that quit smoking have been recognized for their efforts.  Stress management workshops have been held and the organization has an Employee and Family Assistance Program.

4.     Meditech Standards Project

This two phase project will enable more hospitals in    LHIN 13 to join the North            East Ontario Network (NEON) Hospital Information System. So far nine facilities have signed letters if intent stating they wish to join NEON. The first phase involves standardization of dictionaries and the second phase is the actual implementation. The Live date for this project is April 1, 2008.

5.  North East Ontario Laboratory Partnership - Timmins Cluster

Hospitals in the Cluster Include: Hornepayne, Hearst, Kapuskasing, Smooth Rock Falls, Cochrane, Iroquois Falls, Timmins, Kirkland Lake, Englehart, and Matheson.

A new Quality Manager was retained for the cluster in April 2006. Monthly teleconferences and site visits are being used to deal with Quality issues and Ontario Laboratory Accreditation requirements.

6. Failure Modes Effects Analysis

The organization is expected to perform one prospective analysis per year on a high risk process and look at how the system will fail, not when it will fail and then put processes in place to increase patient safety.  We will continue to work to complete our FMEA on the identification of our ER clients and we will perform an FMEA on the receipt of chemotherapy orders and the preparation and administration of chemotherapy.