From left: Craig Watkin, Vice President of Patient Services and Chief Nursing Executive; Brandon Rattray, Transforming Care Specialist; Floriana Islami, Patient Experience Specialist; Tina Oliveira, Director of Medicine and Emergency; Kat Jacobs, Manager of Transforming Care.
By: Floriana Islami, Patient Experience Specialist, St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital
At St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital, we are proud to introduce our Executive and Director Leadership Rounding Program, a monthly scheduled initiative driven by our Patient Experience Office. This innovative program aims to enhance leader rounding on patients, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and directly addressing patient needs at the bedside. By actively engaging with patients, our leaders are not only improving the quality of care but also generating valuable insights and improvement ideas.
A Structured Approach to Leader Rounding
Our Executive and Director Leadership Rounding Program is meticulously organized to ensure consistent and comprehensive coverage across all units. Each month, our leaders, including the Chief Nursing Executive, Vice Presidents, and Directors of Emergency Services, Medicine, Women's and Children's Services, and Surgical Services, follow a rotating schedule. This rotation ensures that each leader rounds on different units monthly, exposing them to diverse aspects of patient care and broadening their understanding beyond their immediate portfolios.
This structured approach is designed to capture a wide array of patient experiences and needs, ensuring that every unit receives focused attention from our leadership team. By consistently interacting with patients and frontline staff, our leaders can identify areas for improvement, celebrate successes, and address any concerns promptly.
Monitoring Continuous Improvement
A key feature of our program is the monitoring and tracking of what we call our purple CI (Continuous Improvement) tickets. These tickets represent the actionable feedback and ideas gathered during leader rounds. Each month, during our Patient Experience huddle, we share and discuss these CI tickets, ensuring that valuable suggestions are not only heard but also acted upon to enhance the patient experience.
The Benefits of Executive Leader Rounding
The Executive and Director Leadership Rounding Program offers numerous benefits, both to our leaders and, more importantly, to our patients.
For Leaders:
Enhanced Visibility: Leaders gain a firsthand understanding of the patient care environment, fostering a deeper connection with both patients and staff.
Diverse Insights: Rotating through different units allows leaders to gather a broad spectrum of feedback, enriching their perspectives and informing strategic decisions.
Direct Feedback: Leaders receive immediate, unfiltered feedback from patients, enabling them to identify and address issues promptly.
For Patients:
Improved Care: Direct engagement with leaders ensures that patient needs and concerns are heard and addressed swiftly, leading to enhanced care quality.
Empowerment: Patients feel valued and empowered knowing that their feedback directly influences hospital practices and policies.
Enhanced Trust: Regular interaction with hospital leadership fosters trust and transparency, reinforcing patients' confidence in the care they receive.
A Commitment to Excellence
The Executive and Director Leadership Rounding Program at St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital exemplifies our unwavering commitment to excellence in patient care. By systematically engaging with patients, capturing their feedback through purple CI tickets, and implementing their suggestions, we are continuously improving our services and fostering a patient-centered culture.
As we move forward, we remain dedicated to refining this program, ensuring that it evolves to meet the changing needs of our patients and the health care landscape. In addition, we plan to expand this initiative to include other leaders within our hospital, further broadening the scope and impact of our rounding efforts. We believe that through proactive and consistent leader rounding, we can continue to make significant strides in patient care, setting a benchmark for excellence within the Ontario hospital community.
For more information about our Executive and Director Leadership Rounding Program and its impact, please contact the Patient Experience Office at St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital. Together, we are making a difference, one round at a time.