Safer Healthcare Now! Ontario Node eLetter, December, 2008
 

NEWS

This Month's Centre Stage goes to: Dr. Michael Baker, Physician-in-Chief, University Health Network, Practicing Physician & Executive Lead, Patient Safety, Ministry of Health and Long-term Care
Read more >

QHN Announces its 2007-2008 Annual Report: Listening for Quality Matters. Read about Safer Healthcare Now! progress in Ontario. Read more >

Congratulations to the 2008 CHEQA winner - North York General Hospital for their winning entry, entitled Patient Flow: Improving the Overall Patience Experience. Click here for more information >
A special thanks to the QHN members that took the time to vote.

SHN EVENTS IN ONTARIO

EVENTS

January 27, 2009, Medication Reconciliation in Long Term Care Workshop now accepting registration. The event will be held at Providence Healthcare, Conference Centre, Third Floor, Toronto, Ontario. Click here for more information >

April 28 - 30, 2009, CPSI: Canada’s Forum on Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Toronto, ON.
Read more >

PROCEEDINGS

October 14, 2008, QHN/ SHN Open House: Patient Safety Indicators Outside the Acute Care Sector Proceedings now available. Click here to view >

November 17, 2008, QHN/ SHN Spotlight on Required Organizational Practices Proceedings now available. Click here to view >

November 26, 2008, QHN/SHN The Art of the Possible: Reducing Incidence and Transmission of MRSA in Healthcare Settings Workshop Proceedings now available.
Click here to view >

RESPONDING TO SHN NEEDS IN ONTARIO
Reducing Incidence and Transmission of MRSA in Healthcare Settings

We have listened to our your concerns about the upcoming Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care's plan to create an unprecedented level of transparency in Ontario’s hospitals and publically report on Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) by December. 31, 2008.

We understand that Ontario organizations require additional resources and support to get them through this process. As such, we held a workshop in November on the reduction and transmission of MRSA in healthcare. The proceedings from this workshop are available below. We have also interviewed two key informants on MRSA in Ontario. These interviews can also be found below. Lastly, we have gathered some useful resources and posted below. If you have others, please share them with us at your convenience. We hope this information finds you well.

QHN MRSA Workshop Proceedings:

November 26, 2008, QHN/ SHN The Art of the Possible: Reducing Incidence and Transmission of MRSA in Healthcare Settings Workshop Proceedings now available.
Click here to view >

QHN MRSA Interviews:

Dr. Michael Baker, the Executive Lead for Patient Safety in Ontario talks to members of the Quality Healthcare Network about MRSA and lessons learned from the launch of publicly reporting C.difficile rates. Click here to view >

Anne Bialachowski, Network, Coordinator for the Central South Regional Infection Control Network talks to members of the Quality Healthcare Network about what they have to do to be successful on MRSA. Click here to view >

MRSA Articles/ Reports/ Support:

Ontario Launches Transparency in Patient Safety Indicators. Click here to view >

Provincial Infectious Diseases Advisory Committee, Best Practices for Infection Prevention and Control in Ontario in All Health Care Settings. Click here to view >

Best Practices for Infection Prevention and Control of Resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococci in All Health Care Settings (from PIDAC). Click here to view >

Best Practices for Infection Prevention and Control Programs in Ontario in All Health Care Settings. Click here to view >

CA-MRSA Fact Sheet for Sport Settings (from CCAR). Click here to view >

Guidelines for the Prevention and Management of Community-associated Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA): A Perspective for Canadian Health Care Practitioners (2006) (from CCAR). Click here to view >

"Legislative Mandates for Use of Active Surveillance Cultures to Screen for Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci" (position paper from SHEA/APIC). Click here to view >

MRSA Fact Sheet (from CDC). Click here to view >

Q&A About MRSA in Schools (from CDC). Click here to view >

CHICA–CANADA (Community and Hospital Infection Control Assocation-Canada) Antibiotic-Resistant Organisms (AROs). Click here to view >

"SHEA Guideline for Preventing Nosocomial Transmission of Multidrug-resistant Strains of Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus". Click here to view >

For additional resources, please go to the national Safer Healthcare Now! website at www.saferhealthcarenow.ca

ABOUT US

The Quality Healthcare Network (QHN) is a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering the development and adoption of best practices by its members through education and shared improvement projects. Established in 1992 as the CQI Network, the network grew into the Quality Healthcare Network in 2003, a member-based organization, which now exceeds over 70 healthcare organizations that share the courage to move beyond status quo, inspired towards excellence in care and service. In 2005, the network became the Ontario lead of the Safer Healthcare Now! campaign, an ambitious pan-Canadian effort aimed at reducing the number of injuries and deaths related to adverse events, such as infections and medication incidents. For more information about QHN, visit the network website at www.qhn.ca.