As a leading provider of aging, mental health, and rehabilitative care Providence Care looks for opportunities to work with our partners in order to innovate and excel in education and research. Providence Care recently had the opportunity to collaborate with Queen’s University to organize and host an IDEAS workshop that focuses on quality improvement within and across healthcare organizations.
The IDEAS (Improving & Driving Excellence Across Sectors) Foundations of Quality Improvement workshop was held at Providence Care Hospital and was attended by staff and physicians from across Providence Care, Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC) and Queen’s University.
“Working in healthcare requires that quality and quality improvement be at the forefront of our minds,” said Cathy Szabo, President & CEO of Providence Care. But what is quality improvement and why does it matter? Quality improvement is a systematic approach to making changes that lead to better patient outcomes (health), stronger system performance (care) and enhanced professional development. Quality improvement affects stakeholders from across the continuum of care; this includes health care professionals, researchers, educators, and most importantly, the people we serve: patients, clients, residents and their families.
The workshop was facilitated by Drs. Rylan Egan, Director of Office of Health Sciences Education, and Kim Sears, Associate Director of the Master of Science in Healthcare Quality program, from Queen’s University. Participants learned the fundamental principles of quality improvement, how to appropriately create and select change ideas, and how to utilize a variety of tools and measures to support effective quality improvement initiatives.
Holding workshops such as the IDEAS Foundations of Quality Improvement emphasizes the importance of expanding knowledge, building capacity, and focusing on data-driven quality and safety initiatives in healthcare. Creating a culture of quality also requires fostering a culture of change. “Both our health care system and the needs of the people we serve are continually changing,” said Szabo. In order to continue providing the high quality, safe care that we do, we too must learn and make changes accordingly.
Mary McDonald, Director of Quality and Risk Management, shared with us the enthusiasm and positive feedback that her department received following the workshop. “It is inspiring to attend a workshop that has such clear and practical applications,” said one participant, “I cannot wait to share what I learned with my team”. We would like to thank Drs. Egan and Sears for leading an engaging workshop, along with graduates of the Master of Science in Healthcare Quality program for facilitating activities and discussions, and our Department of Quality and Risk Management for working to make this workshop a success for all.
