Bruyère recognized for two Leading Practices by the Health Standards Organization
04/18/2018
The Health Standards Organization proudly awarded Bruyère with two more Leading Practices:
1. Bruyère Path to Home Discharge Process – Have You Got Your Passport?
2. Integrating Volunteers in Health Care Delivery: A Service Delivery Model Designed to Enhance the Patient, Resident and Family Experience
A Leading Practice is a practice carried out by a health and/or social service organization that has demonstrated a positive change, is people centred, safe and efficient. The Leading Practices Library is an international knowledge sharing resource of innovative practices that have been identified through a rigorous evaluation process, and shared with those seeking ways to improve quality of health services.
Having these practices added to the Leading Practices Library means that Bruyère is once again setting an example for other health care organizations around the world, while fostering inter-organizational learning and improving quality across the health care continuum.
The landscape of health care has been shifting due to various factors, such as the aging population, increasing complexity of health care needs, higher demand and higher costs. Despite those challenges, Bruyère continues to strive to maintain quality care and services. To that end, it has been working diligently with its patients, residents, families, employees, physicians, researchers and volunteers to develop innovative ways to improve the overall system.
“Our patients are the priority, so we’ve been working with them and their families to identify and co-design projects and processes that they’ve identified as being really important in improving their experience,” says Debbie Gravelle, Bruyère’s senior vice-president of Clinical Programs, chief nursing executive and chief of Allied Health Professions.
The Path to Home Discharge Process helps to prepare patients and families for discharge. All of their information is gathered in one place, facilitating communication and collaboration between the patient, caregiver and interprofessional team members. Studies indicate that improvements in hospital discharge planning can help to significantly reduce anxiety in patients, dramatically improving their outcomes.
“Before we got transferred to Saint-Vincent Hospital, we had been told my wife was ready to receive palliative care. As soon as we got here, the care team immediately involved us in her discharge planning—there was still hope. Now having been home for almost three years, Saint-Vincent Hospital remains very much part of our life. We made great friends during our time here and come back to visit them regularly. It’s all about love, laughter, trust and faith. Bruyère gave us all that,” says Ron Whiting, husband of a discharged patient.
As we are celebrating National Volunteer Week, there is no better time to celebrate the Volunteer Service Delivery Model, which integrates volunteers at the unit level. Its uniqueness is the scope of practice and consistency of volunteers assigned to a specific unit. Traditionally in health care, the role of a volunteer is narrowly defined and often limited to accompanying patients/residents, assisting in recreation activities and friendly visiting. As a result, volunteers are seen as separate from the health care team and as inconsistent helpers. This results in a high turnover, which denies volunteers the opportunity to develop meaningful relationships with residents. The success of the new model is due to the regularity and consistency it provides for the volunteers on a unit.
“The model enhances the patient and family experience and helps address their needs more effectively while leveraging our volunteers’ skills, expertise and interest,” says Karen Lemaire, director of Therapeutic Support Services at Bruyère. “It’s a win-win situation that also helps us retain our dedicated volunteers.”
Both these Leading Practices, from planning to implementation, are the result of successful partnerships. It is a testament to what Bruyère can achieve when people collaborate toward a common goal. Bruyère is committed to building on this success to continue to develop innovative, evidence-based and client-centred initiatives that improve care for the diverse population it serves.
Media contact:
Stéphanie Girard
Director, Communications, Marketing and Community Engagement
Bruyère Continuing Care
613-562-6262, ext. 4022
sgirard@bruyere.org