Since we first shared our Quality Improvement Plan (QIP) on wound prevention and management, we have made significant progress. The following is an update on our ongoing work in this area. September 10, 2018 Since we first shared our Quality Improvement […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[79,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3398","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","category-news-announcements"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\nIntensive monitoring<\/strong>. Senior leadership and site-level clinical leaders are engaged in daily and weekly reporting and monitoring of all wounds, and weekly clinical risk meetings take place at each site to monitor and evaluate care and treatment plans. In addition, we have added Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) indicators (a national benchmark) to our existing prevalence measurements and are using these benchmarks as corporate Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), which adds another layer of shared accountability across the organization.
\nCommunication with residents and families<\/strong>. Clinical leaders at each site have held additional one-on-one meetings with residents and families with stage 3 or 4 wounds to review and collaborate on care planning and provide opportunities for open discussion about all matters relating to care and service.\u00a0These meetings result in mutually agreed-upon plans of care that are reviewed weekly and modified as health changes occur.
\nInvesting in our employees. <\/strong>This is perhaps the most robust area of our QIP, and I am extremely proud of how our team has fully engaged in the process and supported this work. All CCAs, RNs and LPNs are completingrefreshed training on wound prevention and management. Three members of our corporate clinical support team will begin an internationally recognized wound care training program in October, and we will be providing additional training for regional team members to become in-house wound resources who are able to provide additional support and expertise on wound prevention and management at the site level.
\nIn partnership with others in the long term care sector, on September 28, 2018, we will provide staff with a one-day education session dedicated to wound management. We are also collaborating with our medical advisor to host a continuing medical education event for physicians working in long term care in order to align and provide consistency on best practices related to wound prevention and management.
\nResources and technology<\/strong>. We continue to actively explore innovative resources that further support the reporting, evaluation and treatment of wounds. While we have used an Electronic Healthcare Record (EHR) software for many years, we will begin trialing a new software at one of our Nova Scotia nursing homes on September 10. This EHR includes a more robust wound management module that tracks wound prevalence and status. Each site has assessed its equipment needs for wound prevention and healing and purchased additional equipment, such as offloading wedges and booties. We will continue to explore other wound-specific technology options.
\nWound care expertise<\/strong>. A wound care nursing consultant has examined all stage 3 and 4 wounds alongside our own team and collaborated on care planning. On July 23, we hosted a full-day session with local and national experts in wound care, along with our own internal experts to review practices and validate our work on this QIP. This included how we measure and monitor wound prevalence. We continue to participate fully in the Department of Health and Wellness nursing home wound consultant visits and look forward to their additional support in this area.
\nI want to thank our Great People\u00a0<\/em>who provide care and service every day to residents and families. They have demonstrated strength and competence in the face of recent external pressures. A group of team members gathered recently to have a conversation about care. We created a video of this meaningful gathering and I think you will find their perspective interesting and relevant. If you haven\u2019t seen it yet, it can be viewed on Shannex.com.
\nWe have also created a new email address for any questions you may have. Please contact us at askus@shannex.com<\/a> or 1-877-742-6639.<\/p>\n<\/h4>\n
Jason Shannon<\/h4>\n
President & COO<\/h4>\n
Shannex<\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"