10 “Simple” Ways to Improve Patient Care: Lessons Learned from Saskatchewan’s Emergency Department Waits and Patient Flow Initiative (QI Power Hour)
Guest Speakers
- Suann Laurent, Chief Operating Officer, Saskatchewan Health Authority;
- Sharon Garratt, Vice President Integrated Urban Health and Chief Nursing Officer, Saskatchewan Health Authority;
- Adrienne Danyliw, Project and Policy Consultant, Emergency Department Waits and Patient Flow, Health Quality Council; and,
- Kyla Avis, Project Consultant, Emergency Department Waits and Patient Flow, Health Quality Council.
Session Description
The Emergency Department Waits and Patient Flow team at Health Quality Council was formed in response to a challenge from the provincial government for Saskatchewan’s health system to aggressively reduce emergency department wait times. Through the work of this team, it was clear that the focus needed to be on how patients move through hospitals and other parts of the healthcare system.
In this session, HQC and the SHA share reflections on the work of the Emergency Department Waits and Patient Flow Team over the past six years. They disccuss lessons learned throughout and the processes that led to new insights for the team; see examples of how these lessons have carried forward and are being actively applied to areas across the province; and consider and discuss improvement ideas that could be tried in the other local contexts to move the learnings into action.
To learn more about the ED Waits and Patient Flow Initiative, we invite you to check out the following resources in advance of the session:
- “Connected Care Strategy – The Saskatchewan Journey towards Improved Patient Flow”. Recorded January 2018 QI Power Hour Session. Available here.
- “Health System Modelling”. Recorded June 2017 QI Power Hour Session. Available here.
- “High Quality Care Transitions: Bridging the Gap between Community and Hospitals through Focused Process Improvement”. Available here.