While our respective strategic priorities as hospitals may differ, one thing we all have in common is a shared commitment to continuous quality improvement. There's no question that along with patients, the broader health system benefits when we share best practices that lead to improved patient outcomes and experiences. In this spirit, William Osler Health System (Osler) regularly encourages teams to submit locally-developed innovative initiatives to the Health Standards Organization (HSO) and Accreditation Canada, for consideration as global leading practices. The HSO Leading Practices Library is an incredible resource for organizations worldwide that are committed to advancing safe, effective care and to applying a people-centred approach.
The HSO recently recognized Osler for five peer-reviewed leading practices:
Like so many quality improvement initiatives, these stemmed from ideas – generated by Osler staff and physicians – that are practical solutions translating into meaningful results with positive impact on patients' lives.
One such leading practice, Osler's iHuddle Boards, has had profound positive impacts to the hospital's patients and teams. It's a shining example of the tremendous possibilities when technology and process intersect in fresh, new ways.
Harnessing Digital Transformation to Advance Quality Improvement
While team huddles have been a long-established process at Osler, moving huddle boards to a digital platform in late 2020 transformed how clinical teams manage quality and safety, review performance, support patient access and flow, and collaborate on key organizational initiatives.
Osler's iHuddle Boards are a standardized visual management tool available to clinical teams via 55" touchscreen monitors in each emergency department, and inpatient and outpatient unit.
Supported by an iHuddle App developed in-house by Osler's Business Innovation team, each digital board features standardized and unit-specific real-time performance metrics that align to clinical unit goals and Osler's corporate strategic directions. These are displayed in an easy-to-read visual format to support timely decision-making locally and organization-wide. “Osler's iHuddle Boards are a purposeful approach to quality and patient safety that is used to visually translate our strategic plan so that it is as meaningful to our frontline teams as it is to the Executive Team and the Board," said Tiziana Rivera, Vice President, Quality and Chief Nursing Executive at Osler.
The iHuddle Boards also provide opportunities for staff engagement and recognition, organizational announcements, campaigns relevant to teams at the point of care, and staff feedback and improvement ideas. Managers at Osler are able to customize sections of the board specific to their team's needs, and are encouraged to invite patients and families to join unit huddles in front of the iHuddle Boards to discuss patient safety, ask questions and offer solutions.
Tony Raso, Associate Vice-President, Clinical Practice and Quality at Osler, says “This initiative has transformed how our teams manage quality and safety, review unit/program performance, and collaborate on key organizational initiatives."
For more information on the iHuddle Boards, please contact Tony Raso at tony.raso@williamoslerhs.ca or at 905-494-2120, ext. 57480.