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Watch a video where participants in the 18-month Measurement and Monitoring of Safety in Canada Learning Collaborative share their views and experiences on the implementation of the Framework.

Faculty and Coaches

  • "The end result is this really amazing energy and commitment to this," says Dr. G. Ross Baker, PhD, Professor, Institute of Health Policy Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto. "And many people are saying that [MMSF] is the thing that has really turned them around in terms of being able to now incorporate the safety work into their daily work on their unit and working with their colleagues and having valuable and insightful conversations with their colleagues. I think all of this is really positive and it shows that the framework has value… this as not just a conceptual approach to safety,… but a practical, applied way in which front-line staff can work with their teams to create an environment that supports safer care."
  • Dr. Jane Carthey, faculty member says, "The Framework changes the nature of conversations that health teams have about safety. It makes them more mindful, more forward thinking. Before engaging in the Framework, healthcare organizations are often very entrenched in learning from past harm and do very little in terms of moment by moment of what is happening now and what could happen next."
  • Wayne Miller, coach says, "what is really interesting is the passion that frontline people have about providing safe care. They aren't thinking about harm with respect to data that has been provided and reports. What they are doing is coming into work on a day-to-day basis and wanting to do the best possible thing for their patient that day."

Patient Safety Leader

  • Dr. Petrina McGrath, Executive Director Quality and Safety, Saskatchewan Health Authority says "The other thing I am seeing that has really shifted with the [MMS] framework is that we were focused a lot on assurance so you would hear a lot of people doing audits or being audited where now it is about inquiry it is a bit more of … it is no longer about let's just look at the outcome it is now  - ok we have implemented those processes but are they actually able to follow those processes, are staff able to do what we designed and how do we understand that our processes are reliable not to make people fell badly but to say why are we not able to [deliver the meds] in the way that we designed? It is that inquiry or the curiosity, that really pure problem solving that gets us to what would make a process more reliable?"

Participants

  • "I would say that in a very difficult time in healthcare [the MMSF] has brought a very positive change in the culture in our department. It has brought a vibrancy and a degree of engagement that we haven't seen in a very long time," says Dr. Jan Sommers, Nova Scotia Health Authority.
  • "For me personally it has shifted my thinking, I do look at safety differently, it was a lot about past harm, the critical incident review, mostly a narrow focus. But for me, this has really opened up that lens of safety and how to look at that differently," says Tracey Rannie, Interior Health, BC.
  • "I think one of the big benefits of using the framework with a multidisciplinary team is that you get an opportunity for information sharing and problem solving from all the team members regardless of your discipline," says Tricia Coulter, Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, Victoria General Hospital.
  • Rosanne Labossier-Gee, Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, Cardiac Sciences Program (ACU) says "The MMSF has really helped us to focus our safety discussions around one hub. Our patient safety board is where we meet. We have our huddles. But I think the staff really now feel safe putting a ticket up and know that it will be addressed. I think it has really helped us with the dialogue of patient safety and brought it to the forefront of the unit which is awesome."
  • Crystal Browne, Alberta Health Services, Seniors North Zone, Edson says "Our approach has really been to integrate it into every aspect of our work. So even our standing meetings we talk about the framework and some of the work that we are doing… So really trying to find ways to infiltrate existing systems so that we are not reinventing the wheel".
  • "We have established safety huddles and those opportunities for staff to come together, and they do come together to talk about things. But now they are doing it less formally," says Cheryl Seaborn Alberta Health Services, South Zone, Cardston. "So even in the moment that they discover something, they don't wait for the safety huddle, they come together as a group. It is constantly on the staff's minds, they are constantly aware that it is part of ensuring that everyone is remaining safe – it is on their mind all the time. I think it is empowering staff to make decisions where they maybe did not feel empowered to make those decisions before."
  • Danielle Bellamy, Saskatchewan Health Authority, Yorkton LTC says "It has given us the avenue to really focus on safety in our daily huddles. We maybe had daily huddles before but what were we talking about? Were we just talking about past harm? So [the MMSF] has really given us the tools to not only talk about past harm but the other parts of the framework too."

 Demonstration Project

 


The following are comments from the participants in the initial demonstration project led by the University of Toronto.

  • "Once you use this tool, it is very powerful," says Aparna Bhattacharjee, McGill University Health Centre. "It can be infused into everything, from the smallest project to a very large endeavor."
  • "The use of this framework has been very helpful in changing the culture in our organization," says Jelena Sparavalo, St. Joseph's Health Care. "Anecdotally, our patients and staff feel a lot safer using this Framework and being able to discuss safety in a more proactive way."
  • "The framework has broadened the way we look at safety," says Sarah Grummisch, Fraser Health. "The biggest accomplishment that we are most proud of is the culture shift. Even though all staff are not aware of the framework, we have opened up the conversation around safety on the unit with physicians and staff."
  • "The Measurement and Monitoring Safety framework is a different way of thinking for us," says Shannon Moore, STARS. "It is more than just thinking about past harm. You can use the key dimensions to look at and think about anything to do with safety and quality improvement."