Tools

Understanding the Role of the Board in Quality and Safety

• Sample Quality/Professional Affairs Committee Charter
•  Accreditation Canada’s standards for Sustainable Governance help organizations and governing bodies meet the growing demand for excellence in governance practices in Canadian healthcare organizations. They are a response to system-wide changes in structures for healthcare delivery, and the increasing need for public accountability. They are built on five key functions of governance:
• Developing the mission, vision and values
• Collecting and using knowledge and information
• Developing the organization
• Building relationships with stakeholders
• Demonstrating accountability
•  Sample oversight questions that governing boards are encouraged to ask relating to their organizations’ performance in the area of quality improvement and patient safety: (Source: Health Association Nova Scotia, Risk Oversight Module 4)
• How do we define quality?
• How do our patients and their families define quality?
• How does the medical staff define quality? What about nursing and other allied health professionals?
• What should our specific aims be for improving quality and reducing harm over the coming year?
• Who should be part of the process to set those aims?
• How are physicians, nurses and other clinical leader involved in quality improvement projects?
• How are patients and families involved in quality improvement efforts?
• How are the CEO/Administrator and Chief Medical Officer personally involved in supporting quality and patient safety?
• How can we improve the board’s capacity to provide effective quality and patient safety oversight?
• How do we communicate in a transparent and evidence-based way to our patient safety record and our commitment to improve?
• Are all of our policies and medical by-laws (human resources and others) aligned with our commitment to quality improvement and patient safety?
• Are sufficient resources allocated to quality and patient safety initiatives?
• How do we monitor our progress towards our quality and patient safety goals?
• Do we survey our patients/residents to determine their satisfaction levels?
• Do we survey our employees and medical staff to determine their satisfaction levels?
• What are some national or international quality or patient safety initiatives in the health sector? How is our health organization connected to those initiatives?

Board Self Evaluation

•  The Health Association Nova Scotia provides a template for board-self evaluation and for board meeting evaluation.
• Checklists to support board self evaluation
• Quality Committee Self Assessment and Evaluation Questionnaire

Recommended Reading:

• Mohr, J, Abelson, HT, Barach, P (2003) “Creating Effective Leadership for Improving Patient Safety” Quality Management in Healthcare 11(1):69-78.
•  Dagnone, T. “For Patients’ Sake: Patient First Review Commissioner’s Report to the Saskatchewan Minister of Health”.  Regina, SK: Saskatchewan Ministry of Health; October 2009.