volunteer
Patients for Patient Safety
Canada members,
20 of whom have volunteered 10+ years
46 Patients for Patient Safety Canada members have achieved the WHO Champion designation
98 contributions by Patients for Patient Safety Canada members to patient safety programs, policies and/or practices – an estimate of more than 5,000 volunteer hours invested
20 Canadian organizations partnered in the Patient Alliance for Patient Safety
17 teams participating in the Atlantic Health Quality and Patient Safety Collaborative Virtual Patient Engagement Collaborative
208 sites registered to complete the Medication Safety Self-Assessment: Focus on Never Events
2,616 page views of the Canadian Quality and Patient Safety Framework for Health and Social Services
Consultation with patients and families, health providers, organizational leaders, policy makers and others on a National Framework to Put Patients First
The Canadian Patient Safety Institute is engaging and empowering patients and the public to advocate for policy, regulatory, and other actions which will ultimately improve patient safety outcomes and the patient experience.
Patients for Patient Safety Canada continues to build its volunteer community and patient leadership. There are 68 volunteer members; 20 of whom have volunteered for more than 10 years and 46 who have achieved the Champion designation offered by the WHO. Volunteers contributed to 98 programs that shaped safety policies, practices, and behaviours. Most were focused at a Canadian level and involved long-term participation as members of committees or working groups. In 2019-2020, an estimate of more than 5,000 volunteer hours has been invested by Patients for Patient Safety Canada members in these efforts. One example is the Engaging Patients in Patient Safety – a Canadian Guide, which was updated in 2019.
The annual Leading Practices Recognition Program offered by the Canadian Patient Safety Institute, HealthCareCAN, and HSO/Accreditation Canada, with support from Patients for Patient Safety Canada, recognizes teams who have achieved excellence in patient safety through patient engagement. Two teams were honoured for excellence in leading practices in 2019-2020: the Regional Medicine Program team from Eastern Health in Newfoundland for empowering patients to become involved in their own care by moving the nurse handover process to the patient's bedside – a time when patients feel the most vulnerable; and the Long-Term Care Yorkton team from Saskatchewan Health Authority, Family Engagement & Co-design in Measuring & Monitoring Safety program that has led to a significant decrease in the number of injuries – a 42 per cent drop in reported resident harm and a 69 per cent reduction in staff injuries. It has also resulted in an incredible 83 per cent reduction in the use of antipsychotics (without a diagnosis of psychosis).
The Canadian Patient Safety Institute and Patients for Patient Safety Canada were recognized by the Canadian College of Health Leaders (CCHL) for demonstrating the value and impact of leaders partnering with patients for improving patient safety and healthcare outcomes. Maryann Murray (Patients for Patient Safety Canada) and Sandi Kossey (Senior Director, Canadian Patient Safety Institute) were honoured with the prestigious CCHL Celebrating the Human Spirit Award in 2020.
Patients for Patient Safety Canada is the designated lead of the Patient Alliance for Patient Safety. The Alliance currently consists of 20 partner organizations, each represented by a patient partner and staff, who have identified safe care journeys through public engagement as a collective goal that will be advanced together.
In November 2019, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed with the First Nations Health Managers Association to explore opportunities to provide knowledge and resources to their membership to reduce patient harm and promote patient safety.
The Canadian Patient Safety Institute continues to support and explore new opportunities with Indigenous Services Canada to support their staff and Indigenous people. A staff member has been seconded to Indigenous Services Canada to assist with establishing their incident management systems and initiatives.
Working with other Pan-Canadian Health Organizations, opportunities to collaborate on initiatives and to support and work with Indigenous communities and groups are being pursued, as well as supporting cultural sensitivity training for staff.
In November 2019, the Canadian Patient Safety Institute hosted a webinar to expand understanding on how people from Indigenous communities’ experience patient safety; there were 248 registrants.
The Canadian Quality and Patient Safety (CQPS) Advisory Committee was convened and is supported by the Canadian Patient Safety Institute and Health Standards Organization (HSO). The Canadian Patient Safety Institute and HSO have established a multi-year MOU which outlines the joint commitment in mapping and alignment of key initiatives, including the Canadian Quality and Patient Safety Framework for Health Services.
The building blocks for a CQPS Framework package are underway. Key interventions, indicators and evaluation methodologies were identified, focused on five levers: people-centred care, safe care, accessible care, appropriate care, and integrated care. The Framework and Action Guides have been developed with a planned launch in September 2020.
Stakeholder Engagement, Communication, and Knowledge Translation Plans have been developed for the rollout of the CQPS Framework, including webinars and conference presentations. The aim is to integrate the Framework into standard development, policy priority setting, and other healthcare decision-making at all levels.
Alberta Health Services and the Manitoba Quality, Patient Safety and Accreditation Project Team have been early adopters of the Framework, aligning their health services to the goals of the Framework.
Future collaborations are being explored, including commissioned research or the co-creation of patient safety tools or capacity programs to support compliance with accreditation standards and the development of a standard to evaluate the quality of peer support programs.
The Federal, Provincial, and Territorial (FPT) Patient Safety Network met three times in the past year to establish Terms of Reference and to begin exploring common patient safety challenges and priorities.
The Canadian Patient Safety Institute shared best practices, tools, and resources with jurisdictional leaders in the network, and analyzed and interpreted important data (such as variation in patient safety legislation, patient outcome data and antimicrobial resistance), to help the Network make decisions. The Canadian Patient Safety Institute also completed significant background research on relevant provincial and territorial patient safety issues (such as accountability and governance roles for safety, legislation, and policies) to support the FPT Government Patient Safety Network to improve patient safety through policy. The Canadian Quality and Patient Safety Framework for Health Services was shared with the Network and recognized as a useful strategic tool.
As a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre on Patient Safety and Patient Engagement, the Canadian Patient Safety Institute is a key contributor of patient safety and patient engagement expertise to WHO efforts, and helps influence the policies and programs they develop and implement for the WHO member states and the world. In 2019-2020, we disseminated the 72nd World Health Assembly resolution, Global Action on Patient Safety, contributed to the Global Patient Safety Action Plan “A Decade of Patient Safety 2020-2030”, and to other initiatives aimed to strengthen the commitment of federal, provincial, territorial governments, health leaders and patients to advance safety improvements. The Canadian Patient Safety Institute led Canada’s efforts to celebrate the first World Patient Safety Day on September 17, 2019.
The Canadian Patient safety Institute contributed to the design of the Global Knowledge Sharing Platform for Patient Safety, hosted by the Centro Gestione Rischio Clinico (WHO Collaborating Centre in Human Factors and Communication) in Florence, Italy.
The Canadian Patient Safety Institute continues to coordinate and lead initiatives in support of key action areas and framework domains of the WHO Global Patient Safety Challenge: Medication Without Harm. Some 208 sites registered to complete the Medication Safety Self-Assessment: Focus on Never Events for hospital/ambulatory care sites and long-term care sites (in partnership with ISMP Canada).
As an observer for the Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies Canada, the Canadian Patient Safety Institute advocates for policy changes to protect the integrity of the drug supply chain and to promote medication safety in Canada.
Together with ISMP Canada, Patients for Patient Safety Canada, and industry partners, the Canadian Medication Safety Coalition is establishing its governance structure and seeking funding for two intravenous infusion safety initiatives which align with the strategic priorities of the Global Challenge.
View WHO Medication Without Harm Strategic FrameworkThe Canadian Patient Safety Institute provides leadership and support for patient safety and quality initiatives and stakeholder groups across Canada. Some examples of information shared with our regional partners include best practices emerging from the Safety Improvement Projects (Enhanced Recovery Canada and the Measuring and Monitoring of Safety Framework); Global Patient Safety Alerts: and the new Policy Framework.
The Terms of Reference for the Atlantic Health Quality and Patient Safety Collaborative (AHQPSC) were updated in December 2019, supporting an expansion of membership to include representatives from each Health Authority/Region in Atlantic Canada and patient and family representatives were expanded from two to four (one from each province). The Canadian Patient Safety Institute acts as secretariat for the AHQPSC. The AHQPSC provides a forum and process for members to collectively support the Atlantic Deputy Ministers of Health in their work to advance patient safety and quality across the Atlantic Provinces.
In 2019-2020, members of the AHQPSC supported the Patient Safety Roundtables held in Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island; participated in public consultations on the draft Canadian Quality and Patient Safety Framework; and in collaboration with the Canadian Patient Safety Institute and other provincial and national partners, contributed to the update of the Engaging with Patients in Patient Safety: a Canadian Guide.
The AHQPSC, in collaboration with the Canadian Patient Safety Institute, hosted the Atlantic Quality and Patient Safety Learning Exchange in Newfoundland in October 2019. More than 200 participants from across Canada attended the two-day conference.
Regional relationships in Quebec and Ontario were strengthened by participation in regional meetings and conferences where the Canadian Patient Safety Institute showcased our work and provided input on incorporating these efforts into provincial initiatives. The Canadian Patient Safety Institute shared tools, resources, and policy advice/expertise to departmental representatives in the Ministries of Health, Quality Councils, and regional health authorities in both provinces.
The Canadian Patient Safety Institute worked closely with healthcare organizations in Manitoba and Saskatchewan to support their events and initiatives, and to connect them with resources. The Manitoba Institute for Patient Safety and the Canadian Patient Safety Institute co-presented a Leadership for Patient Safety session for the Manitoba Chapter of the CCHL; and the Health Quality Council of Alberta, Imagine Citizens Collaborating for Health (Alberta) and the Canadian Patient Safety Institute co-presented a panel webinar The Future of Patient Safety: Status Quo or Innovate? for the CCHL Northern and Southern Alberta Chapters.
The Canadian Patient Safety Institute continues to develop relationships with healthcare staff and leaders in the northern Territories as we support their patient safety work, including priority setting around improvement activities and policy changes.
