Improving Patient Care through the ICU Outreach Project
To All PHC Staff & Physicians
From Bonita Elliott, Operations Leader, ICU, St. Paul's Hospital
Date October 13, 2006
Re Improving Patient Care through the ICU Outreach Project
I am pleased to announce the launch of the first phase of the ICU Outreach program at St. Paul’s Hospital. Beginning October 16, all staff on the medical units (7A, B, C, D & 8A) at St. Paul’s Hospital will have access to the ICU Outreach services.
The ICU Outreach program is a phased hospital-wide approach to critical illness that aims for safety and prevention by education and action. The concept is to have an outreach team of health providers who are experienced at assessing patients’ symptoms and the trajectory of their health. If a patient shows early warning signs of developing a critical illness any staff member or physician can call the ICU Outreach team to see the patient. The outreach team will assist staff in assessing the patient and work with them to form a plan of action and call on medical advice if necessary. Our goal is to reduce mortality and morbidity through early intervention and treatment.
ICU Outreach will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The team will also be available to follow patients recovering from a period of critical illness and provide follow-up support to patients and families recently transferred from the ICU settings.
A key component of the ICU Outreach program is to share knowledge and enhance the skills and understanding of all staff in the delivery of critical care. This sharing of knowledge and expertise and improvement in patient safety should increase patient, family and staff satisfaction. Staff will also be able to help with the ongoing tailoring and structuring of the program by evaluating the services and providing feedback.
After this first phase of the project is complete, the program will be rolled out to other units in the hospital at a later date. Once the program is well underway at St. Paul’s Hospital we hope to also implement it at Mount Saint Joseph Hospital.
The planning for this new delivery model of care has moved forward as a result of collaboration between clinical areas, health care providers, Quality Improvement and multiple supports services. Everyone has pulled together to make this happen for improved outcomes and care for our patients. Thank you to all those involved and especially the ICU Outreach planning team who has worked tirelessly to make this happen.
For more information about the ICU Outreach project please contact Kevin Carriere. Kevin can be reached at kcarriere@providencehealth.bc.ca or local 6-3218.