A Quality Improvement Process: Interview with Dr. Sienna Bourdon, Medical Director (Brentwood Bay), Shoreline Medical Society WORDS KAREN MORGAN, DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT, SHORELINE MEDICAL SOCIETY PHOTO COURTESY SHORELINE MEDICAL SOCIETY In your work with both Shoreline Medical Society and the Saanich Peninsula Hospital (SPH), you recently identified a problem. What was it? From September 2022 to September 2023, we saw the SPH ER overburdened with 1,000 Shoreline patient visits for problems that could be dealt with in-clinic. We had “rapid access appointments available but patients weren’t aware they were an option and staff had difficulty using them appropriately. This problem isn’t unique to Shoreline, as 70% of the visits to the ER are for less urgent issues, by patients who have a primary care practitioner (family doctor or nurse practitioner). We sought a solution that could be shared with other clinics to improve patient access. What was the goal of the project? Our goal was to reduce the number of non-urgent visits to SPH ER by patients who had a primary care practitioner. In order to develop a solution that could be “scaled up” to
other sites, we started by using Shoreline Medical Brentwood Bay clinic as our test site. How did you tackle the problem? Through a “quality improvement process” we engaged with patients and the clinic team. A survey of patients revealed lack of awareness of which problems were better tackled in clinic, and how to access a rapid access appointment. Through these surveys, and discussions with team members, we discovered there was enthusiasm for a new approach. The next step was to create new guidelines for medical office assistants to use when patients call to get an urgent appointment. Finally, we communicated the process to patients and provided education to address any issues identified in the survey. Have you seen a change? Yes. We’ve seen “rapid access” used more appropriately and MOA satisfaction improve, as they are able to accommodate patients more readily. We also saw excitement among
patients who felt engaged in health care improvement. Was Shoreline Medical Society uniquely positioned to trial a solution to this problem? Yes, with two clinics, physician involvement with the hospital and a team of caregivers who work together, Shoreline was uniquely positioned to
identify the problem, develop a test solution and test its effectiveness at one of our clinics. Additionally, with administrative and business supports at Shoreline the physicians have more time available to participate in things like quality improvement initiatives.
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76 | JANUARY 2025 | Seaside