Survey shows room for health care improvement
RQHR fails 258 criteria, passes 2,194
The Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region is doing well on safety and care services, but it’s failing in a few key areas.
That’s according to Accreditation Canada, a national independent surveyor of health-care-organizations, which renewed RQHR’s accreditation through 2019. That means RQHR has met certain requirements and is striving to achieve healthcare quality and safety.
RQHR passed on 2,194 criteria and failed on 258; 23 locations were surveyed in April, including Regina’s two hospitals, and clinics and long-term care facilities across the region.
Senior leaders will have a month to process the report and the findings will become part of RQHR’s planning.
Health region CEO Keith Dewar is particularly “pleased” with the 100-percent mark it received in safety culture, which has been a regional priority.
Among areas for improvement:
■ Medication use — RQHR met just 26 per cent of required practices in that category; infusion pumps training was a factor in the low mark, said Dewar. In a few facilities, annual training and recertification didn’t happen.
■ Sterilizing reusable medical devices — RQHR met 61 per cent of criteria.
Dewar said the General and Pasqua hospitals are ahead of the game in light of staining related to surgical instruments’ sterilization last year.
It’s not that instruments aren’t being sterilized, he assured — “it’s a step in the process they’re saying we need to make more rigorous.”
■ Medication reconciliation — Ensuring staff are clear on what medication a patient is prescribed and that they’re taking it. RQHR spent $700,000 to hire pharmacy technicians as a first step, said Dewar.
■ Staff engagement — It’s low. Dewar said supporting staff can be an issue because one manager handles anywhere from 60 to 150 employees around the clock.
■ Understanding lean — The report says “staff members are unsure of their direction vis-a-vis lean and other daily workload requirements of providing care.”
Dewar said everyone received basic orientation when lean was implemented, but it didn’t go far enough. It’ll take time for RQHR’s 12,000 staff to understand with further training.
■ Fixing the urban/rural g ap in resources — Ensuring every facility has similar access to information on everything from diet to housekeeping to physiotherapy.