“Like so many nurses I am driven to generate and apply evidence in clinical practice, but crave formal training and mentorship to make it happen, CREST presents an important opportunity for clinicians like me to explore meaningful research ideas that will directly impact clinical processes, patient care and clinical outcomes,”—Michelle Carter, clinical nurse specialist at St. Paul’s Hospital.

CREST is a trailblazer in addressing the needs of health care workers and transforming staff into clinician-scientists, leading the way in innovative, transformative, and evidence-informed health care practices, setting a new standard of health care excellence continually shaped and refined by the latest research findings. And at the end of the day, the benefits are felt most by patients – the driving force behind our promise.  

Read more about Michelle Carter’s story.

PHC is embarking on an ambitious initiative to embed patient and family voices even more deeply into our organization and improve how we engage with patient and family partners.  
 
We’re establishing a salaried patient partner role that will lead efforts to ensure patient and family partners are engaged meaningfully in areas such as: 

• Designing, delivering, and evaluating care that meets the diverse needs of our communities. 
• Shaping the training of health care staff to work more effectively with family and patient partners.
• Supporting quality improvement initiatives to make care safer and more effective.
• Collaborating on the design and planning of new facilities, and ensuring patient and family voices shape both the environment and the care delivered within them.

In our continuous pursuit of excellence, the QI Challenge is at the core of PHC values, and is recognized as a powerful antidote to the real problem of staff burnout. QI empowers our health care providers to enact positive changes, contributing to the health and happiness of our staff, and the quality of care for our patients. 

Since 2017, 30 people have successfully taken part in the QI Challenge. Together, they’ve completed 22 projects that have improved patient care, reduced errors, improved workflow, and increased staff and provider satisfaction. 

The QI Challenge tackles the fundamental issue of improving services through a lens of compassion and efficacy. From patient experience surveys, safety event reports, and compliance assessments, we’ve analyzed what our patients value most when it comes to their experience with our health care system, and how we can best serve these challenges and needs. The QI Challenge empowers staff and service providers to address these challenges collaboratively, ensuring that patient needs and experiences are at the forefront of improvement initiatives. 

For instance, Suzanne Fuller, program director of Outpatient Services and leader in Infection Prevention & Control and Risk Management, encouraged Leila Chinybayeva, an Infection Control nurse, to use QI methods to solve a difficult issue at PHC’s Renal Program. 

Leila launched a project using formal QI methods to assess the magnitude of the problem behind infection rates in peritoneal dialysis drain boxes, implement solutions, and set new and stricter standards for the boxes’ maintenance. The project was a success in reducing the formation of biofilm as one of the factors preventing infections in patients suffering from kidney disease. The next step is to work on the sustainability of the protocol and spread it to other units in the Renal Program. 

St. Paul’s is committed to contributing to Truth and Reconciliation in all areas of care. In alignment with Indigenous Wellness and Reconciliation (IWR) principles, the QI Challenge learning material will incorporate crucial elements for engaging people in quality improvement. Collaboration with the IWR team ensures that the program addresses key themes and ideas identified in the PHC report on Indigenous-specific racism and discrimination.