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year ago, Kootenay Boundary residential care physicians, Interior Health administrators, nurses, and private partner site leads began meeting around a dinner table … and some amazing things happened. Physicians became more involved. Staff felt more empowered. And residents began benefiting from improved quality across the board. The General Practice Services Committee (GPSC) introduced a project to improve quality outcomes in residential care two years ago. Although timelines and tactics have varied among different Interior Health communities, at the crux of the project is collaboration. The aim of the initiative is to bring everyone together around the table – and in the Kootenay Boundary’s case they are literally at a table, as a portion of the GPSC funding through the local Division of Family Practice is dedicated to biannual dinner meetings. “We have a lovely dinner, with between six to 15 of us gathered around to share best practices. Nurses from facilities can sit for two hours with the doctors and work out mutually respectful quality solutions,” says Dr. Trevor Janz, Kootenay Residential Care Medical Director. The Residential Care Initiative aims to achieve three system level outcomes: reduce unnecessary or inappropriate hospital transfers; improve patient-provider experience; and decrease cost per patient as a result of increased care quality.
Dr. Trevor Janz discusses resident Median Logus’s care with her during a morning visit to her room at Mountain Lakes Seniors Community in Nelson.
“This collaborative focus on quality cycles has had a tremendous impact,” says Cindy Kozak-Campbell, Interior Health Residential Services Executive Director. “By bringing everyone together to share ideas we can work as a team to achieve common goals. It’s a really powerful thing.”