University of Toronto IHI Open School Chapter

We are getting a new website!

2010-08-04T20:31:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,

Thank you so much for following the chapter and the news we have been posting. We really appreciate your support and loyalty. Furthermore we are very excited to let you know that we will be switching from this Blogspot account to a new site at IHIToronto.ca.

The new website will provide information about the benefits of membership and why students should get involved with the chapter, highlight opportunities for learning about quality improvement, as well as how to get practical experience. The change over has already begun, but continue to watch for new developments on the site throughout the year.

Sign-up Here

2010-04-21T18:00:00.000-07:00

Click here if you want to become part of the chapter network, and you will be added to the email distribution list.

Inter-professional Team Communication as an Aspect of Patient Safety

2010-04-21T17:57:00.000-07:00

Our nation [the United States] is said to have one of the best healthcare systems in the world; why then do we see so much controversy surround this subject? The reasons are varied, but they all converge at one point – this trillion dollar industry is being talked about because no matter how much money is pumped into it, it seems that healthcare is becoming more expensive and less accessible as the years go by. What with the insurance companies taking center-stage and deciding who should be treated and what diseases they’re allowed to be treated for, healthcare is no longer focused on the patient and what they need. Rather, it’s all about how the insurance company can make the most money, and patient safety and care fall by the wayside.

Nothing concrete is being done to reduce medical errors and improve patient safety – people are more likely to contract illnesses in hospitals than out of them, and because doctors and nurses are overworked, they are more prone to errors that lead to further medical complications and even death. Patient safety can be improved considerably when medical professionals work as a team and communicate effectively while providing patient care.

When a patient is referred from one doctor to another for further treatment or a second opinion, it is imperative that there be effective communication between both teams; for example, when a family physician refers his/her patient to a specialist surgeon, patient records and history must be transferred and communicated accurately so that essential medication is not inadvertently left out, double dosages are avoided, and drug allergies are duly noted. Effective communication is also essential for post-operative care when the patient is recuperating and is under the care of his/her family physician. Patient records must be duly updated and instructions followed to the letter.

When there is a breakdown in communication between medical teams or if the communication is misinterpreted or not efficient, it is the patient who suffers the most. He or she is shortchanged of the treatment they deserve and need in order to get back to normal health. In this day of computerized communication and electronic records, it is easy enough to transfer information effectively. The weak link in the chain of communication is the human factor – if medical personnel are tired, overworked or just negligent, errors are prone to occur and even the best communication efforts go awry. So for patient safety to improve, it is essential that communication between medical professionals be at the highest level.

This guest article is written by Teresa Jackson, she writes on the subject of OnlineNursePractitionerSchools . She invites your questions, comments at her email address : teresa.jackson19@gmail.com

Sign-up Here

2010-04-01T08:48:00.001-07:00

Click here if you want to become part of the chapter network, and you will be added to the email distribution list.

2010-03-27T17:55:00.001-07:00

Two exciting events are coming up shortly.

1) The People Vs. Cancer - a speaking tour with Stephen Lewis, presented by a Campaign to Control Cancer
Date: Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Time: 5:00pm - 7:00pm
Location:University of Toronto, Medical Sciences Building, Room MS2158

Their facebook page is http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=111642258849535
Their website is http://www.controlcancer.ca/stephen-lewis-tour-2010

"The Campaign to Control Cancer (C2CC) is bringing "The People vs. Cancer" - Ontario Speaking Tour with Stephen Lewis to five Ontario universities thanks to the support of our sponsor the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation - Ontario Region.

Students, faculty, staff, members of the community and elected officials, are invited to participate and hear Stephen Lewis bring a global health activist point of view to the challenge of engaging Canadian universities and students in shaping and supporting a new response to controlling cancer.

Mr. Lewis will be speaking on the transformational role that an engaged public can play and the social action process that promotes the participation of everyday people in gaining control over their lives and wellbeing, drawing on ?lessons learned? in the global movement against HIV/AIDS. Canadian universities and students will be challenged to bring forward their skills, innovation, creativity and leadership to the challenge of significantly reducing cancer rates in one generation. He will also be advancing the C2CC campaign effort to have cancer control included in discussions at the G8/G20 meetings to be hosted by Prime Minister Harper in June 2010 in Toronto.

At the Global Leadership Forum for Cancer Control, held last year in Ottawa, Mr. Lewis brought forward the idea that cancer control as a global social movement was on the ?threshold of an amazing campaign.?

2)Vaccine Sciences Symposium, hosted by the Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion (OAHPP)
Date: Wednesday, April 07, 2010
Time: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Location: Hart House, University of Toronto

" Speakers from Ontario and across Canada will present their exciting research on vaccine sciences and vaccine preventable diseases on April 7th 2010. Registration for Continuing Medical Education accreditation is available. Please visit the registration page for details. Registration closes on March 30"

Website: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/519277172

12 Most Common Medical Errors (And How to Prevent Them)

2010-03-16T05:41:00.000-07:00

Via : http://bit.ly/dzcO13

According to the National Academy of Sciences, medical errors injure millions of people each year and cost billions of dollars annually in increased health costs. And this does not take into account lost wages or productivity costs. If that isn’t frightening enough, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement estimates that more than 238,000 hospital deaths among Medicare patients between 2004 and 2006 were due to medical errors that could have been prevented.

With healthcare reform front and center in political discussions, but little coming from it, patients are left to rely on their overworked physicians and other caregivers for reliable services. To best avoid becoming part of the statistics, become part of the solutions by knowing the 12 most common medical errors and how to prevent them.

1. Medication Errors : The most common of medical errors, luckily it can be one of the most preventable. Errors include assigning a medication due to improper information such as allergies, other medications taken, previous diagnosis, and others. A medication error can also include lack of up to date warning or miscommunication due to poor handwriting. There is also confusion among drugs with similar names or dosage, and this effects all drugs including prescription, over the counter, vaccines, etc. The best way to avoid this medical error is to know what you’re taking, how much, and what you can’t take. If unable to remember, bring all of your medications to the doctor or hospital with you.

2. Bad Communication : Have you been going to the same doctor for years? That doesn’t mean that he or she knows or will remember everything about you. The second most common medical error results from poor doctor/patient communication. With loads of tests and labs, doctors will not always remember every test you have, so it is up to you. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality lists the ten questions every patient should ask their doctor, along with many other useful tips. You can even go there to build your own personalized question list.

3. Infection : They may seem clean, but hospitals are one of the most likely places to receive an infection. Given the high incidence of people with infections, workers who can become contaminated, and the fact that many patients enter the hospital with weakened immune systems, infection can be a serious problem. If staying at a hospital, be sure to avoid a doctor’s tie, ask him or her if they have washed their hands since visiting the last patient, and be sure to wash your own often. This article reports on the incidence of high IV infection rates. If you receive one, be sure to monitor for signs of infection and ask for a new one if suspicious.

4. Falls : Because on so many new drugs, patients cannot predict how they will react to them, causing a fall, which is another leading common medical error. In fact, ten percent of falls for the elderly occur in hospitals. Patients who have other mobility issues like a broken leg, walker, or cane, can also find the clean hospital floors more slippery than those at home. If you think you need assistance standing and walking, contact the nursing staff. Be sure and allow 10-20 minutes for a response, as they may be busy assisting others stand and walk.

5. Surgical Errors : Because surgery is scary enough when everything goes right, it is vital to prevent errors before, during, and after. These can include wrong site, wrong procedure, and even wrong patient surgeries. Although there are new procedures in place to reduce these common medical errors, you can still do your part. Speak to your surgeon about the procedure you are having, why you are having it, and what the surgeon will be doing during the surgery. Also know the rules in place to avoid surgical errors: 1. The surgeon must sign the incision site with the patient awake. 2. Use only a signature and not a confusing “X.” 3. The entire surgery team must stop and perform a checklist before beginning the procedure.

6. Pharmacy Errors : You don’t have to be in a hospital to be a victim of a common medical errors. With dozens of patients each day, pharmacies can also make errors on your medication. In fact, according to this article from CNN, 30 million Americans are the victim of outpatient medication errors each year. Although some are minor and can be caught easily by most patients, others are not. To best prevent medical errors of this sort, know what your doctor prescribed and how much when going to the pharmacy. Also, be sure to be honest with the pharmacist about other medications and drugs you are taking to ensure that there is no harmful interaction.

7. Lab Errors : Another facility with many patients and tests in one spot, common medical errors can occur here as well. These can also be truly devastating by leading to wrong diagnosis and wrong treatment, while the initial disease continues. Types of common errors can include MRI or CT taken incorrectly, samples taken incorrectly, or results misinterpreted. If you feel your lab results are misleading, you are within your rights to ask for another lab test to confirm.

8. Treatment Errors : If you feel your diagnosis was reached correctly, a common medical error can still happen during treatment. Because many doctors have been practicing for decades, it is not unusual for them to be using outdated procedures. Be sure to ask why you are having the treatment, how long the doctor has been doing them, and if there are any alternatives. This website is full of guidelines for treating many common illnesses.

9. Follow Up Care : When discharged from the hospital or clinic, be sure and know what your follow up care is and what to expect from it. If you are given a specific amount of medication and told to take it all, take it all. Just because you feel better halfway through, doesn’t mean you are better. Ask the facility who to contact if you have follow up questions on your at home care. This link also has more on what to do.

10. Birth Injuries : It may be the most joyous time in your life, but birthing a child can also lead to medical errors. The most common can result in serious injuries such as cerebral palsy and paralysis. Women who are most at risk include those with large babies, prematurity, prolonged labor, and more. To best avoid these injuries, do research on the place you would like to have your baby in. Check several hospitals in and outside of your area. See the incidence of birth injury and, if possible, read reviews by other mothers who gave birth there.

11. Bring Family : This is vital to avoiding common medical errors. If you are too ill to answer or too tired to protest, an informed family member is your best bet to sidestepping a common medical error. They can answer questions about medications, do reviews of your current and future care, and lift spirits. Make sure they also read these 12 most common medical errors and how to prevent them. Click on this link to get more rules for family members visiting at a hospital.

12. Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late : With healthcare costs on the rise, many patients believe they can save money by putting off the doctor’s visit. However, this can actually have the opposite effect as the worse a disease gets, the harder and more expensive it is to treat. This decision can also be deadly with the wrong disease going undiagnosed or treated. If you have no insurance, click on this link to find a Take Care Clinic. Visits start at $65, which is far cheaper than many primary care visits out of pocket. They are also doing free blood glucose testing for the month of February.

If you have any questions regarding the above 12 most common medical errors and how to prevent them, ask your physician. The best way to not become lost in a system like so many million before you is to be your own best advocate. Know your rights both as a patient and an insurance holder. If you don’t have insurance, there are still many resources for you, along with many useful tips for those who do have it.

March 8 Seminar Featuring Paul Batalden

2010-03-03T06:37:00.000-08:00

Do not miss an amazing opportunity to hear from Dr. Paul Batalden, a leader quality improvement scholar and Professor of Pediatrics, Community & Family Medicine at the Dartmoth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice at Dartmouth Medical School

Topic: Quality Scholars and the Development of the Scholarship of Improving Healthcare
When: Monday, March 8 , 4:00-5:30 pm
Where: HSB 208

Sign up: Health and Human Rights Conference @ U of T March 5/6

2010-03-01T06:19:00.000-08:00

Attention Chapter members interested in international health!!

The 2010 Health and Human Rights Conference (HHRights) is about the impacts of international aid and development on the health, rights, and livelihoods of people around the world. How have rich countries influenced the governance and growth of poor countries? Does aid go to where it is needed and how can we ensure that it does? There will also be a special focus on student overseas volunteerism, and the popular NGO-Networking Fair is returning along with some new and exciting features. HHRights 2010 promises to be a truly engaging and not-to-be-missed experience.

For more info contact IHI Open School chapter member and Public Health student Cindy Shen (cindy.shen@utoronto.ca)

Global Health

2010-03-01T05:21:00.000-08:00

The Health and Human Rights Conference will be held at the University of Toronto on the 5th and 6th of March. More information can be found here

This is a good opportunity for IHI members who are interested in global health.

Upcoming Chapter Events !

2010-02-18T12:14:00.000-08:00

There are two patient safety seminars next week - this is the case because the HPME seminar that was cancelled on Feb. 10 was moved to next week, where we had already planned our IHI seminar.

Both sessions will be held in the HSB 208 (Health Sciences Building, 155 College St.)

Wed Feb. 24; 4:00-5:30pm HPME Seminar Series: Dr. Jeffrey Alexander from the University of Michigan will give a talk titled "The Science and Practice of Quality Improvement: Developing Capacity to make a Difference".
See http://www.hpme.utoronto.ca/about/events/hsrseminar0910.htm for more details

Thur Feb. 25; 5:30-7:00pm Dr. Michael Rachlis, who is a family physician, health policy analyst, private consultant, author, and an associate professor at U of T will present his thoughts on quality improvement and patient safety, and will facilitate a discussion for our chapter.

March 8 - all day Clinical Engineering Society of Ontario Conference, at the Hospital for Sick Children. They have a variety of activities for the day. You can register at https://secure.e-registernow.com/cgi-bin/mkpayment.cgi?state=792 They are still looking for volunteers for the event (in which case the $10 signup fee is waived). You can email michael.hamilton@utoronto.ca for more information.

Join our Facebook Group !

2010-02-17T14:49:00.000-08:00

Find us on Facebook by searching :
Institute for Health Improvement (U of T Chapter)

Use our Facebook page to:
- connect with other members of our chapter at U of T
- find out about upcoming events
- see photos and videos of past events
- start a discussion or join an existing discussion
- access IHI Open School materials and connect with students around the world who are interested in quality and patient safety

TODAY! Katarina Busija on Increasing patient and family involvement to better care

2010-01-16T18:24:00.000-08:00

Speaker Series: Challenging the Norms in Healthcare, Increasing Patient and Family Invovlement to Better Care

Where: Health Sciences Building, 155 College Street West, Room 208
When: TODAY January 18, 5:30 pm

Katarina Busija, is a Registered Nurse who is the Board Co-Chair for Patients for Patient Safety Canada, as well as a Patient Safety Champion at the World Health Organization and a Patient Safety Officer at Toronto Rehab Institute.

Katarina will speak about her very personal journey to becoming a patient safety champion.

To learn more about Katarina visit : http://bit.ly/73nyeH

Refreshments will be provided!

ED Improvement Simulation

2010-01-16T06:20:00.000-08:00

Event: Competitive Emergency Department Improvement Simulation
Purpose: to learn about:
1) Inter-professional collaboration
2) Change management
3) Lean improvement techniques
When: Saturday Jan. 23, 10am-4pm
Where: Toronto General Hospital
Cost: $20
Food: bring your own, or you can buy from Toronto General's extensive food court

Restrictions:
1) Apologies to our professional members, but only full-time students can participate
2) 1st and 2nd year medical students may NOT participate - this is because the simulation will soon become a graded component of your curriculum. This is unfortunate, but you will have the chance to participate soon enough.

Teams: You will be placed on a team; teams are created to be balanced based on the professions and experience.

How to Sign-up: Go here.

About the event: A brief educational session on change management and lean principles will start off the day. This is facilitated by staff from the Centre for Innovation in Complex Care (CICC) at Toronto General. Teams will be formed and introduced to the interface for the simulation, then the simulation will begin. In the simulation, you are the VP of a hospital with excessively long ED wait times and lots of bad press, and you are charged with "fixing" the ED. Change efforts aren't easy, however, and you must be tactful and strategic about what you do.
Depending on the teams, the simulation can last from 2-3 hours (a deadline may be imposed to keep us on schedule). Afterwards, everyone comes together for a debrief (again handled by CICC staff) and a scoreboard is shown of how all the teams did. This is a great time to discuss what we learned during the day.

January 18 Speaker Series: Challenging the Norms in Healthcare, Increasing Patient and Family Invovlement to Better Care

2010-01-12T15:12:00.000-08:00

Where: Health Sciences Building, 155 College Street West, Room 208
When: Monday January 18, 5:30 pm

Katarina Busija, is a Registered Nurse who is the Board Co-Chair for Patients for Patient Safety Canada, as well as a Patient Safety Champion at the World Health Organization and a Patient Safety Officer at Toronto Rehab Institute.

Katarina will speak about her very personal journey to becoming a patient safety champion.

To learn more about Katarina visit : http://bit.ly/73nyeH

Refreshments will be provided!

Intro to Process Mapping

2010-01-12T10:46:00.000-08:00

Event: This two-hour course will provide the basics of mapping a process using proper notation. It is a valuable tool to use for analyzing and improving any system, and will be of particular interest to those in the QI projects. This is intended for those who have NO experience with process mapping.
When:Jan 17 from 3-5pm
Where: Meet in the lobby of HS (155 College St)
Bring paper with you to draw your process diagrams.

Welcome to the U of T IHI Chapter

2010-01-04T10:59:00.000-08:00

What is the IHI?
The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI)is the world's premiere patient safety organization. One program they run is called the IHI Open School.

How does the U of T chapter fit in?
The Open School has over 180 chapters at campuses around the world. Our group at the University of Toronto is one of those chapters. The school year starting in September 2009 is the first full academic year our chapter will be in operation.

Our chapter has an executive committee of 14 students and a faculty advisory council with five distinguished members from U of T faculty and from industry. The chapter is lead by Jason Coke, an Industrial Engineer and student in Health Administration. There are currently 215 members in our chapter representing at least eight disciplines.

What activities does the chapter do?
Starting in January, we will have a series of meetings where speakers come each month to discuss issues in patient safety and QI in healthcare. The first meeting is called "The Apple of His Eye: Learning from the Lived Experience" and will take place on Jan. 18 @ 5:30 in HS 208 (155 College St). It will be given by Katarina Busija, who lost her father due to medical error.

There will be several "introduction to process mapping" seminars. If you want to learn this valuable skill, this is the event for you!

Hospital QI projects are the activity with the highest level of commitment. See the post below for more details on this.

There may be other events and activities coming up as well. Check back regularly to stay posted (or just sign up and you'll get the emails).

Sounds great, how do I sign up?
See the posting above this one - it provides a link.

Hospital QI Teams

2010-01-04T10:55:00.000-08:00

Hello IHI Members

Here are the details for hospital QI teams.

What: Our chapter is beginning our most ambitious and exciting activity so far: Quality Improvement (QI) projects in hospitals and other health facilities.
How: 1) Sign-up here. 2) Complete QI 101, 102 and 103 at the IHI Open School. 3) You will be placed on a multi-disciplinary team of 6 students and assigned to a hospital project
When: Projects will start in the second half of January... ideally you should sign up before then. That said, depending on the volume of sign-ups and projects available, we may be able to place some teams starting in early February. Projects should be completed by the end of the semester.

What commitment is required?
1) prior to starting your project, you need to complete QI 101, 102 and 103 at IHI Open School. Each course takes less than an hour, and by completing these you will gain an understanding of the IHI's Model for Improvement - and the basic skills you will need when doing your projects.
2) It is also expected that throughout the semester, you will complete the five other courses currently available at the Open School. (also an hour or less, each)
3) Time: it's hard to estimate the time commitment required; you can expect between 1-4 hours per week, but this will be variable, and will also depend on how many site visits you make. There may be extra time required in the early stages of the project to get things up and running. But because you'll be in a team of 6, not everyone needs to do everything so if you're well-organized as a team, the time will be manageable
4) at the end, your team will need to create a poster and write a short paper on your project - this should be at the quality of "grey" literature and will be posted on the IHI website.

What will I actually do?
After determining the purpose of your project, you will engage with health providers and patients. You may need to shadow providers or patients and see what happens in the hospital. You will need to determine outcome measures, process measures and balancing measures, along with a system to measure them! You'll choose from a host of improvement ideas - you can search the literature for change ideas or you can use your own creativity. You'll need to figure out how to implement those change ideas and measure the system's performance over time. You'll use the IHI's Model for Improvement, which includes rapid-cycle improvements known as PDSAs.
This may sound like a lot - but you'll learn about all this in the Open School's courses. And you'll have support available throughout the semester should you need it.

Why sign-up?
1) you will gain excellent experience in healthcare facilities and in quality improvement methodology.
2) the IHI is the world's premiere patient safety institute. By completing the Open School courses and a QI project, you can meet the requirements for IHI certification, which is recognized around the world.
3) and... you will be making healthcare better according to the IHI's 6 dimensions of healthcare: safe, timely, efficient, effective, equitable, and patient-centered,
4) all these things will look great on your resume
5) the only cost is your time, energy and brain power (and maybe a few TTC tokens)
6) it will be FUN

This is a really exciting opportunity - if you are interested and willing to meet the above commitments, then please sign up at the link provided above.

Update from Jason on the 2009 IHI Annual Forum

2009-12-14T13:44:00.000-08:00

Over 5,500 people attended the IHI’s Annual Forum in Orlando last week, representing over 40 countries from around the world. At least 15,000 connected to the forum virtually by watching online videos of the forum sessions.

Don Berwick, the President and CEO of the IHI (pictured here), gave another stirring keynote presentation. He stressed that health in and of itself is valueless; rather, it is what we can do with our health that makes it worthwhile. And sometimes, less is more. He cited his own knee as an example. He suffers from a degenerative knee disease, and knows that at some point, he will need a complete knee replacement. This operation was about to take place for him, but the day before his surgery, another doctor suggested steroid injections. With that done, his condition improved immensely and he is still able to participate in his favourite sport: skate-skiing. If he’d had the knee replacement, he’d have to give up his sport. And it would have cost more.

There were many other sessions on an extensive range of topics such as hospital performance, pandemic planning, patient safety, and roles that various health providers can/should play. There was also an exhibit hall with 200-300 exhibitors; this was a great place to connect with potential employers, find out what future qualifications may be required for dream jobs, and find out what is happening at hospitals around the world.

I also had the pleasure to represent our U of T chapter at the IHI’s Chapter Congress – a meeting of chapter leaders from around the world (currently IHI chapters are operating in 178 campuses worldwide). We discussed issues around chapter growth, education, and activities, and I’m pleased to report that I returned to Toronto feeling energized and full of ideas for the upcoming semester. Stay tuned for upcoming events in the winter semester!

To access presentation materials from the IHI Annual Forum click here : http://www.softconference.com/ihi/slist.asp?C=2557

From the Archives... Center for eHealth Innovation Simulation Lab Tour in April 2009

2009-12-01T11:36:00.001-08:00

Stay informed for new, exciting IHI Open School at U of T chapter events in 2010! Get on our email list : uoftihichapter@gmail.com

Get involved in our executive team!

Follow us on Twitter! @uoftihichapter

Sean Clarke's Patient Safety Speaker Series Talk: Opening the Black Box

2009-12-01T11:16:00.001-08:00

Dr. Sean Clarke, who is a trained nurse and health services researcher gave a wide-ranging talk on his research yesterday at the Department of Health Policy, Management & Evaluation as part of the Bridging the Quality Chasm Health Services Research seminar series, which is focused on patient safety.

Dr. Clarke's research is focused on understanding organizational influenceson clinical judgement in hospital nursing care.

Dr. Clarke openned the talk with a discussion on outcomes research, and how outcomes research can illuminate how endpoints of clinical care relate to context. The goal of outcomes research is to provide data for improving the quality of health care to a broad audience, including : clinicians, management and stakeholders (including patients). A number of theoretical models are used to explore the black box which include variables such as : leadership, practice environment, nurse staff, nurse job outcomes, processes of care and patient outcomes.

Dr. Clarke has applied this framework to the analysis of key processes related to patient safety:
- Needlestick injuries
- Failure to rescue
- Relationship between volumes and outcomes
- Processes of care measures

For upcoming Health Services Research Seminars on Bridging the Quality Chasm, please visit: http://www.hpme.utoronto.ca/about/events/hsrseminar0910.htm

To learn more about Dr. Clarkes' research, visit his website ( http://bloomberg.nursing.utoronto.ca/staff/AcademicStaff/Sean_Clarke.htm )or contact him directly at sean.clarke@utoronto.ca

IHI National Forum December 6-9 in Orlando, FL

2009-11-02T13:24:00.001-08:00

From the IHI Open School Blog.

Check out these student-centered events!
•Apply for a student or faculty scholarship (50-75% scholarships).
•Apply for a Student Travel Stipend ($250).
•Follow the Student Track to choose your sessions.
•Submit one of the three types of Student Posters.
•Join the Forum Students Facebook Group!
•Is this your first conference? Review Student Forum Survival Guide!
•Listen to the Student Audio Advice to hear what other students say about the Forum.
Dec. 6-9 in Orlando, Florida. Join us to Re-Form Health Care.

November 30 Health Services Research Seminar Featuring Dr. Sean Clarke

2009-11-02T13:06:00.000-08:00

Topic: Opening the Black Box: Understanding Organizational Influences on Clinical Judgement in Hospital and Nursing Care

Where: Room 208
Health Sciences Building
155 College Street
University of Toronto

When: Monday, November 30, 2009 4-5:30 pm

To learn more about Dr. Clarke : http://bloomberg.nursing.utoronto.ca/staff/AcademicStaff/Sean_Clarke.htm

Updates to the Lakeview ED Simulation

2009-10-23T08:03:00.001-07:00

Event: Competitive Emergency Department Improvement Simulation
Purpose: to learn about:
1) Inter-professional collaboration
2) Change management
3) Lean improvement techniques
When: Saturday Nov. 7, starting around 10 or 11am... aiming to finish about 3 or 4pm
Where: Toronto General Hospital (details TDB) (near College St. & University Ave - very close to campus)
Cost: $10
Food: bring your own, or you can buy from Toronto General's extensive food court

Restrictions:
1) Apologies to our professional members, but only full-time students can participate
2) 1st and 2nd year medical students may NOT participate - this is because the simulation will soon become a graded component of your curriculum. This is unfortunate, but you will have the chance to participate soon enough.

Teams: You do NOT need to form teams (but you can show up with people you want to be on a team with). Just sign up now, and the teams will be formed the day of the event. Team size is TBD.

How to Sign-up: Email uoftihichapter@gmail.com with your name and program of study. There may be a maximum number of participants allowed, in which case we will use first-come, first-served - so email soon.

About the Event: A brief educational session on change management and lean principles will start off the day. This is facilitated by staff from the Centre for Innovation in Complex Care (CICC) at Toronto General. Teams will be formed and introduced to the interface for the simulation, then the simulation will begin. In the simulation, you are the VP of a hospital with excessively long ED wait times and lots of bad press, and you are charged with "fixing" the ED. Change efforts aren't easy, however, and you must be tactful and strategic about what you do.
Depending on the teams, the simulation can last from 2-3 hours (a deadline may be imposed to keep us on schedule). Afterwards, everyone comes together for a debrief (again handled by CICC staff) and a scoreboard is shown of how all the teams did. This is a great time to discuss what we learned during the day.

Join Us for the Lakeview Emergency Dept Simulation!

2009-10-21T06:50:00.000-07:00

Event: Competitive Emergency Department Improvement Simulation
When: Saturday Nov. 7, starting around 10 or 11am... aiming to finish about 3 or 4pm
Where: Toronto General Hospital (details TDB) (near College St. & University Ave - very close to campus)
Cost: $10-20 (to be finalized)
Food: bring your own, or you can buy from Toronto General's extensive food court

Restrictions:
1) Apologies to our professional members, but only full-time students can participate
2) 1st and 2nd year medical students may NOT participate - this is because the simulation will soon become a graded component of your curriculum. This is unfortunate, but you will have the chance to participate soon enough.

Teams: You do NOT need to form teams (but you can show up with people you want to be on a team with). Just sign up now, and the teams will be formed the day of the event. Team size is TBD.

How to Sign-up: Email uoftihichapter@gmail.com with your name and program of study. There may be a maximum number of participants allowed, in which case we will use first-come, first-served - so email soon.

Deadline: Please respond by Thursday October 22.

About the Event: A brief educational session on change management and lean principles will start off the day. This is facilitated by staff from the Centre for Innovation in Complex Care (CICC) at Toronto General. Teams will be formed and introduced to the interface for the simulation, then the simulation will begin. In the simulation, you are the VP of a hospital with excessively long ED wait times and lots of bad press, and you are charged with "fixing" the ED. Change efforts aren't easy, however, and you must be tactful and strategic about what you do.
Depending on the teams, the simulation can last from 2-3 hours (a deadline may be imposed to keep us on schedule). Afterwards, everyone comes together for a debrief (again handled by CICC staff) and a scoreboard is shown of how all the teams did. This is a great time to discuss what we learned during the day.

Win a full scholarship to the IHI National Forum!

2009-10-02T07:45:00.001-07:00

Win a full scholarship to the Forum: Are you a full-time health professions student with a strong interest in improvement?

Write an essay about a health care quality improvement project (either one you’ve done or one you plan to do) and apply for the David Calkins Memorial Scholarship. The scholarship covers the entire cost of General Conference fees and includes a stipend for travel and lodging. To learn more, download the Calkins Scholarship information sheet. The application deadline is Friday, October 16.

For more info check out:
http://www.ihi.org/IHI/Programs/ConferencesAndSeminars/NationalForumStudents2009.htm?TabId=10

About Dr. Calkins (from the Boston Globe, April 16, 2006)

Dr. David Calkins, worked in medicine, public policy

By Bryan Marquard, Globe Staff | April 16, 2006

In life, and particularly when facing death, David Calkins just didn't break his stride.

''He really lived more in his 57 years than most people do in 87 years," said his sister, Kathy Calkins Horne of Tulsa, Okla. ''He went at a pace that many people couldn't keep up with. Even when you walked down the street with him you couldn't keep up. He was just full speed ahead all the time."

He kept up the pace during the final 2 1/2 years of his life, after receiving a terminal diagnosis. In some ways, he preferred to live with cancer as if were a chronic illness.

''This guy would have brain surgery and be back at his desk in seven days," said Dr. Donald Berwick, president and CEO of the Institute of Healthcare Improvement in Cambridge. ''I'd say, 'David, what are you doing here?' And he'd say, 'Well, it was time to get back.' "

Dr. Calkins, a former associate dean at Harvard Medical School who helped the healthcare institute design and implement a campaign to prevent 100,000 avoidable deaths in hospitals, died April 7 at his Concord home. Last fall, he had run the last of more than 20 New York City Marathons -- the final two after his diagnosis.

A devoted physician, educator, husband, and father, Dr. Calkins traveled in a wide array of professional circles in which his respect for colleagues made him a favorite.

''There was a way he could share his ideas and be in the presence of others and be ever so humble," said his wife, Susan Rice of Concord.

''I can never remember him having a cross word with anyone," said his younger brother, John, a physician in Kansas City, Mo.

Said Berwick, ''Everyone comments on this: When he was with you, he was with you completely."

The oldest of three children, David Ross Calkins was born in Kansas City, Kan. His father, a physician, had chaired the obstetrics and gynecology department at the University of Kansas. As a youth, he embraced the passions for medicine and public policy that would define his career, often becoming so deeply engrossed in the newspaper over breakfast that it was a challenge to engage him in conversation.

He graduated from Princeton University in 1970 and went to Harvard Medical School. He graduated in 1975 and simultaneously received a master's degree in public policy from the Kennedy School of Government.

In 1978 he joined the Carter administration. More than two decades before it became a hot-button issue in the Clinton administration, Dr. Calkins was trying to figure out how to bring healthcare to everyone in the country.

''Growing up, he was a major Democrat," his wife said. ''He'd always been interested in not just the day-to-day patient-care issues, but the long-term patient-care issues."

When Jimmy Carter lost his reelection bid, Dr. Calkins returned to Boston. During various periods over the next 15 years he was head of the internal medicine division at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital, taught at Harvard's medical school and school of public health, and directed the university's master's program in health policy management.

Diana Walsh, president of Wellesley College, was a Kellogg national fellow with Dr. Calkins in the late 1980s.

''He was a man of deep and enduring values," she said. ''He loved learning new things. He had an insatiable appetite for knowledge."

Dr. Calkins returned to Kansas in 1996 as associate dean and then senior associate dean at the University of Kansas Medical School. Then it was back to Harvard Medical School in 1999, where he was associate dean for clinical programs. The flag at the school flew at half-staff Friday, a week after his death.

He joined the Institute for Healthcare Improvement in 2003 as a George W. Merck fellow. The following year, the Society of General Internal Medicine awarded him its outstanding achievement award.

''One of the things that mattered most to him was mentoring medical students," Rice said.

She and her husband met at Beth Israel, where she was a clinical social worker. They shared a deep commitment to patient care.

But Dr. Calkins was also deeply committed to the kinds of things that don't show up on a resume.

''He had these great passions," Walsh said. ''He had a passion for dancing. He loved '60s music, fishing, running."

''All the women in all the groups he was involved with knew that he was a major person on the dance floor until 2 in the morning," his wife said, ''but to first meet him you would never know that."

An avid Red Sox fan, Dr. Calkins would keep the team's website tiled on his computer screen at work whenever a game was in progress. Diagnosed in late 2003 with a type of brain cancer that is always terminal, Dr. Calkins pushed the statistical envelope. The team's victories the following year seemed like a metaphor for his success as a patient.

''When the Red Sox won the pennant, it was like some sort of message from the baseball gods," Walsh said.

Meanwhile, he ramped up his already deep involvement in life, staying up late in the nights before surgery to finish work for the institute and devoting himself to his son, Christopher, with whom he traveled to games and fished the Yellowstone River in Montana.

''He was focused on creating lots of wonderful memories for his son," his sister said.

''As his own life was slipping through his fingers, it was so clear who he was and what he cared about and what he stood for," Walsh said. ''He taught us how to live and he taught us how to face our deaths, with courage and with hope and with his commitment to how to make the most of every remaining day."

In addition to his wife, son, and siblings, Dr. Calkins leaves his mother, Emily, of Kansas City.

October 20 : HPME Quality and Patient Care Seminar Series!

2009-09-29T08:56:00.000-07:00

Safety Leadership : Learning from Healthcare and Other Industries

October 20, 2009

4-5:30 pm

155 College Street West

Room 208

Featuring Dr. Rhona Flin

Professor, Applied Psychology

University of Aberdeen

Rhona Flin (PhD, FBPsS, FRSE) is Professor of Applied Psychology and
Director of the Industrial Psychology Research Centre at the University of
Aberdeen. She leads a team of psychologists conducting research on human
performance in high risk industries and healthcare. Her group's projects
include studies of leadership, culture, team skills and decision making in
acute medicine, aviation and energy industries. She is currently studying
surgeons', anaesthetists' and nurses' non-technical skills and safety
climate in hospitals and is leading the Scottish Patient Safety Research
Network, established in 2007 (www.spsrn.ac.uk). Her latest books are Safety
at the Sharp End: A Guide to Non-Technical Skills (with O'Connor & Crichton,
Ashgate, 2008) and Safer Surgery: Analysing Behaviour in the Operating
Theatre (with Mitchell, Ashgate, 2009).

For more information please visit: http://www.hpme.utoronto.ca/about/events/hsrseminar0910.htm

Follow us on Twitter!!

2009-09-21T07:24:00.000-07:00

Follow us on Twitter to find out about the latest chapter events, and other interesting Tweets!

http://twitter.com/UofTIHIChapter

Upcoming Toronto Quality and Patient Safety Events!

2009-09-17T13:20:00.000-07:00

HPME Seminar Series: Bridging the Quality Chasm Health Services Research Seminars

Topic: Improving the quality and safety of health care: Current developments in the NHS and why studying organizatioal issues is important
Date : Monday, September 21
Time : 4:00-5:30
Speaker: Dr. Naomi Fulop, NIHR King's Patient Safety and Service Quality Research Centre, King's College, London

For more information on the 2009/2010 HPME Health Services Research Seminars please visit:
http://www.hpme.utoronto.ca/about/events/hsrseminar0910.htm

CHSRF Researcher on Call Series: October 14

Topic: Emergency Room Overcrowding
Time: 12:00-12:45 pm (Teleconference format)

Featuring: Dr. Malcolm Dupe, Dr. Ricardo Lobata di Faria and Andre Maddison

Register Now!
http://www.chsrf.ca/research/researcher_on_call_overcrowding_e.php

OHA Annual Health Achieve: November 16, 17 & 18

FREE to students! Be a part of the largest health care conference in Ontario! Network with over 9,000 colleagues and hear star speakers including : Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Silken Laumen and Michael Moore!

Register for FREE here:
http://www.ohahealthachieve.com/Client/OHA/healthachieve09_lp4w_lnd_webstation.nsf/resources/StudentFlyer/$file/4168+HA_student-flyer_v7.pdf

There is a Patient Safety session featuring Dr. Dave Williams who is an astronaut and aquanaut on Monday, November 16 from 1:30 - 3 pm. Dr. Williams will be talking about 'Quality Based Medicine: Creating a Culture of Patient Safety'

Check it out:
http://www.ohahealthachieve.com/Client/OHA/healthachieve09_lp4w_lnd_webstation.nsf/ab62aa378257da8985257286006f4b6e/e951e9004498a14b852573590068896e!OpenDocument

IHI Open School Newsletter "Finding the Joy in Work"

2009-08-24T07:16:00.000-07:00

Access the IHI Open School August newsletter here:

www.tinyurl.com/mky7q7

Highlights include:

* recording, case study and article on physician, resident and med student burnout

* chapter updates from the 156 IHI Open School chapters in 18 countries

* new info on the IHI Open School website

* upcoming events, including conference calls and the IHI National Forum!

Upcoming conferences and events

2009-08-11T07:22:00.000-07:00

September 13-15, 2009 Rochester, MN

Transform : A Collaborative Symposium on Innovations in Health Care Experience and Delivery

www.centerforinnovation.mayo.edu/transform/index.html

September 16, 2009 Toronto, ON

HealthCamp Toronto

HealthCamp is about putting web technologies, open standards, mobile and social media, and process innovation to work for better health care and health technology.

www.socialtext.net/hctoronto/index.cgi?healthcamptoronto

December 6-9, 2009 Orlando, FL

21st Annual National Forum on Quality Improvement in Health Care : Simplify

Scholarships are available for students, residents and faculty!

http://www.ihi.org/IHI/Programs/ConferencesAndSeminars/

Get your work published!!

2009-07-12T08:53:00.000-07:00

IHI Open School On Call: Get Your Work Published
Wednesday, July 22, 4-5 PM Eastern Time

You have a lot to say about the work you do. But getting published is another story. What journals should you target? What do editors look for? Is it even possible for a student to publish independently?
In this free audio conference, Frank Davidoff, IHI’s executive editor, and David Stevens, Editor-in-Chief of the journal Quality and Safety in Health Care, demystify the publication process for students. You’ll learn:
· How publication works, from start to finish
· The most common reasons editors accept and reject submissions
· The types of student articles that are most likely to be published
· Five major obstacles to writing and publishing – and how to overcome them

To Register : http://services.choruscall.com/links/ihi090722.html

Berwick, Davis and Fisher Webinar on US Health Care Reform.

2009-05-20T10:50:00.000-07:00

What do we as Canadians have to contribute to the debate around US Health Care Reform?

How can physicians help lead health care reform?

LINK:
https://commonwealthfundevents.webex.com/mw0305l/mywebex/default.do?siteurl=commonwealthfundevents

Date and Time:
Friday, May 22, 2009 11:00 am
Eastern Daylight Time (GMT -04:00, New York)

Topic:

Legislation that will fundamentally change the U.S. health care system is now being shaped in Washington, D.C. And this time, nearly all stakeholders are at the negotiation table. Join a Commonwealth Fund/Institute for Health Improvement webinar this Friday, May 22, 2009, at 11 a.m., E.D.T., as three of the nation’s leading thinkers in health policy and practice outline how physicians and others can help create a health care system that offers high-quality, affordable health care for all Americans while containing health care costs.

Panelists:
Donald M. Berwick, M.D., M.P.P., President and CEO, Institute for Healthcare Improvement
Karen Davis, Ph.D., President, The Commonwealth Fund
Elliott S. Fisher, M.D., M.P.H., Associate Director, Population Health and Policy, The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Practice

Join the Call! This Month's On Call Audio Conference is on Speaking Up for Yourself and Your Patients

2009-05-10T06:04:00.001-07:00

HI Open School for Health Professions

On Call Audio Conference - Speaking Up for Yourself and Your Patients

Friday, May 15, 2009
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM Eastern Time

You've witnessed a patient receiving care that isn't optimal.
You want to say something.
But how?

In this call, sociologist Parker Palmer, Dartmouth Medical School Professor Paul Batalden, medical student Emma Samelson-Jones, and former ACGME executive director David Leach discuss the role of truth-telling and moral agency in health care.

You'll learn:
• How a failure to speak up can lead to tragic outcomes
• Ways to respond when you see something going wrong
• How to cultivate the self-awareness and courage required to speak up
• How to engage your advisors and peers in an ongoing conversation around these issues

Join the Call!
Advanced registration is required. To register, please visit: http://services.choruscall.com/links/ihi090515.html

Suggested reading before the call: A New Professional: The Aims of Education Revisited, by Parker Palmer. To access the article, please click here: http://www.changemag.org/Archives/BackIssues/November-December 2007/full-new-professional.

html
______________________________________________________________________

This free call is part of a monthly audio conference series that brings experts in health care improvement together with students from medicine, nursing, dentistry, pharmacy, health care management, public health, and other allied health professions. Each hour-long call ends with a question-and-answer period and focuses on an issue that affects you. To download audio files or written transcripts of past On Call audio conferences, visit our website at: http://www.ihi.org/IHI/Programs/IHIOpenSchool/Audio.htm.
______________________________________________________________________

IHI Open School in American Medical News

2009-05-06T19:35:00.000-07:00

Great article in American Medical News on IHI Open School ... lets get going Canada and make it a goal to be featured in the Medical Post!

http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2009/05/04/prsb0504.htm

Medical students taking free online courses in quality, safety

The Institute for Healthcare Improvement's curriculum stresses less-traditional topics of error reduction and resource management.

By Kevin B. O'Reilly, AMNews staff. Posted May 4, 2009.

In addition to lecture podcasts, online discussion groups and case studies, Open School is making use of YouTube, the video-sharing Web site, to help students learn about quality improvement and patient safety. Details are online (www.youtube.com/user/ihiopenschool).

About 4,000 medical students are taking classes on everything from measuring quality to using technology to prevent medical errors, but the training is not happening in medical schools.

Rather, it comes courtesy of free online courses offered by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (www.ihi.org/openschool).

The classes are part of the Cambridge, Mass.-based nonprofit's Open School for Health Professions. The program, launched in September 2008, has registered 12,000 medical, nursing and other health sciences students. There are supplementary, student-led Open School chapters at 122 health-sciences schools in 12 countries.

IHI, widely respected for initiatives that have helped doctors and hospitals reduce infections and surgical complications, wants to help medical schools.

Already, four North American medical schools have used the IHI-developed educational content.

Discuss on Sermo
Links
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E-mail - Print - Write a letter

The Open School "is really needed to offer quality improvement and patient safety educational competencies to the next generation of health professionals so they have the tools to enter the work force as prepared and active participants in providing the best care for patients," said Jill Duncan, RN, MPH, director of the program.

"Many universities are starting to do this work in their curriculum, but change is slow in academic medicine. ... This is an opportunity for students to have access to this information and offers faculty the chance to integrate this work in any way they can," Duncan said.

So far, the Open School has rolled out six introductory courses that students can take online any time.

They cover topics such as how to set goals, collect and analyze data and implement system changes to improve quality; how teamwork and communication can reduce patient harm; and how "human factors" -- the design of medical equipment, signage and labels -- affect care.

IHI staffers developed the course content in consultation with some leading U.S. patient safety and quality experts.

Online resources include videos, podcasts, discussion groups and case studies.

Once a full course load is created, students can earn certificates to add to their resumes. For an advanced certificate, students must apply the principles to an improvement project in the clinical setting. IHI also is working to qualify the courses for continuing education credit.

Open School chapters meet regularly, and advocate for more coverage of quality and safety topics in medical school curricula.

Studying safety

Vineet Arora, MD, is a faculty adviser to the Open School chapter at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, where she is assistant dean for curricular innovation. She said the program is a welcome option for students and could encourage medical schools to offer more quality and safety material to their curricula.

"In addition to the formal coursework here at Pritzker, here's another great way to get structured resources and training from an organization that specializes in quality improvement," Dr. Arora said.

Open School for Health Professions registered 12,000 medical, nursing and other health science students.

"As faculty, it takes the edge off of us a little bit, and it inspires us to really go forward and think about our next steps here," she added.

Caitlin Schaninger, a third-year medical student at the University of Chicago, is the student leader of its Open School chapter, which has 25 members. She said the program adds another dimension to her medical education.

"We're taught about topics in quality and safety [at the University of Chicago], but having the IHI Open School gets us more information about how you go about studying these issues," Schaninger said. "How do you go about formulating a hypothesis and testing it to make changes to improve quality and patient safety?"

U.S. medical educators said the fledgling IHI program reflects a broader effort to confront the nation's patient safety challenges by improving the training of doctors and other health professionals.

"Historically, medical schools have not taught these other sciences, things like human factors or error reduction and resources management," said David Mayer, MD, associate dean for curriculum at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago, which also boasts an Open School chapter. "That's changing now because the urgency of the problem has been exposed."

The print version of this content appeared in the May 11, 2009 issue of American Medical News.

Discuss on Sermo Back to top.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Weblink

Institute for Healthcare Improvement Open School for Health Professions (www.ihi.org/ihi/programs/ihiopenschool)

IHI Open School YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/user/ihiopenschool)

"When Improvement Isn't in the Curriculum," IHI Open School, April 7 (www.youtube.com/watch?v=A383hqDjzYY)

Photos from Human Factors Lab Tour!

2009-05-04T11:14:00.000-07:00

CMAJ Review : Medication Errors in Critical Care

2009-04-28T07:33:00.001-07:00

Medication errors in critical care: risk factors, prevention and disclosure
E. Camiré, E. Moyen, H.T. Stelfox

Checking and comparing medications on admission and discharge from intensive care units may reduce medication errors in critical care. Involving pharmacists in inpatient rounds may also decrease adverse drug events. These are 2 of the approaches suggested by Camiré and colleagues in their review.

A full PDF of this review can be accessed here: http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/content/full/180/9/942

2009 Canada's Forum on Patient Safety and Quality Improvement in Toronto

2009-04-25T08:07:00.001-07:00

For anyone interested, the Canadian Patient Safety Institute Conference is this week in Toronto. Special students rates are available.

Highlights include:

* Keynote by Helen Bevan, Director of Service Transformation, NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement

* Hot Topics - Safe Surgery Saves Lives & Hand Hygeine Toolkit

* Keynote by Dr. Brian Goldman (ED Physician, Mt Sinai Hospital & Host of White Coat, Black Art on CBC Radio)

To register and for more information go here:

http://www.patientsafetyinstitute.ca/English/news/canadaForum/Pages/default.aspx

Conference program can be downloaded here:

http://www.patientsafetyinstitute.ca/English/news/canadaForum/Documents/2009/CPSI_Program_2008_E_v2.pdf

Economist Special Issue on Health 2.0

2009-04-25T08:04:00.000-07:00

From the Economist Special Report on Healthcare and Technology:

http://www.economist.com/specialreports/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13437990

INNOVATION and medicine go together. The ancient Egyptians are thought to have performed surgery back in 2750BC, and the Romans developed medical tools such as forceps and surgical needles. In modern times medicine has been transformed by waves of discovery that have brought marvels like antibiotics, vaccines and heart stents.
Given its history of innovation, the health-care sector has been surprisingly reluctant to embrace information technology (IT). Whereas every other big industry has computerised with gusto since the 1980s, doctors in most parts of the world still work mainly with pen and paper.
document.write('');

But now, in fits and starts, medicine is at long last catching up. As this special report will explain, it is likely to be transformed by the introduction of electronic health records that can be turned into searchable medical databases, providing a “smart grid” for medicine that will not only improve clinical practice but also help to revive drugs research. Developing countries are already using mobile phones to put a doctor into patients’ pockets. Devices and diagnostics are also going digital, advancing such long-heralded ideas as telemedicine, personal medical devices for the home and smart pills.
The first technological revolution in modern biology started when James Watson and Francis Crick described the structure of DNA half a century ago. That established the fields of molecular and cell biology, the basis of the biotechnology industry. The sequencing of the human genome nearly a decade ago set off a second revolution which has started to illuminate the origins of diseases.
The great convergence
Now the industry is convinced that a third revolution is under way: the convergence of biology and engineering. A recent report from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) says that physical sciences have already been transformed by their adoption of information technology, advanced materials, imaging, nanotechnology and sophisticated modelling and simulation. Phillip Sharp, a Nobel prize-winner at that university, believes that those tools are about to be brought to bear on biology too.
Robert Langer, a biochemist at MIT who holds over 500 patents in biotechnology and medical technologies and has started or advised more than 100 new companies, thinks innovation in medical technologies is about to take off. Menno Prins of Philips, a Dutch multinational with a big medical-technology division, explains that, “like chemistry before it, biology is moving from a world of alchemy and ignorance to becoming a predictable, repeatable science.” Ajay Royyuru of IBM, an IT giant, argues that “it’s the transformation of biology into an information science from a discovery science.”
This special report will ask how much of this grand vision is likely to become reality. Some of the industry’s optimism appears to be well-founded. As the rich world gets older and sicker and the poor world gets wealthier and fatter, the market for medical innovations of all kinds is bound to grow. Clever technology can help solve two big problems in health care: overspending in the rich world and under-provisioning in the poor world.
But the chances are that this will take time, and turn out to be more of a reformation than a revolution. The hidebound health-care systems of the rich world may resist new technologies even as poor countries leapfrog ahead. There is already a backlash against genomics, which has been oversold to consumers as a deterministic science. And given soaring health-care costs, insurers and health systems may not want to adopt new technologies unless inventors can show conclusively that they will produce better outcomes and offer value for money.
If these obstacles can be overcome, then the biggest winner will be the patient. In the past medicine has taken a paternalistic stance, with the all-knowing physician dispensing wisdom from on high, but that is becoming increasingly untenable. Digitisation promises to connect doctors not only to everything they need to know about their patients but also to other doctors who have treated similar disorders.
The coming convergence of biology and engineering will be led by information technologies, which in medicine means the digitisation of medical records and the establishment of an intelligent network for sharing those records. That essential reform will enable many other big technological changes to be introduced.
Just as important, it can make that information available to the patients too, empowering them to play a bigger part in managing their own health affairs. This is controversial, and with good reason. Many doctors, and some patients, reckon they lack the knowledge to make informed decisions. But patients actually know a great deal about many diseases, especially chronic ones like diabetes and heart problems with which they often live for many years. The best way to deal with those is for individuals to take more responsibility for their own health and prevent problems before they require costly hospital visits. That means putting electronic health records directly into patients’ hands.

2009-04-15T09:39:00.000-07:00

Visit http://www.rbm.who.int/worldmalariaday/ to learn how you can help efforts to roll back malaria.

April 25, 2009 is a day of unified commemoration of the global effort to provide effective control of malaria around the world. This year's World Malaria Day marks a critical moment in time. The international malaria community has merely two years to meet the 2010 targets of delivering effective and affordable protection and treatment to all people at risk of malaria, as called for by the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon.

World Malaria Day represents a chance for all of us to make a difference. Whether you are a government, a company, a charity or an individual, you can roll back malaria and help generate broad gains in multiple areas of health and human development.

Great Opportunity for Those Interested in US Health Reform

2009-04-15T06:07:00.001-07:00

Doctors for America is pleased to invite you to our first virtual town hall meeting with one of the biggest names in healthcare reform:
Neera TandenCounselor for Health Reform U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Thursday April 16, 2009, 7pm EST - 8pm EST
http://www.drsforamerica.org/webcast/register
(You must register to attend and to submit questions.)
Ms. Tanden was Director of Domestic Policy for the Obama campaign and is now Counselor for Health Reform at the Department of Health and Human Services. She plays a pivotal role in guiding the Obama Administration's health reform efforts. Don't miss this opportunity to learn about the latest policy developments in health reform and to share your questions with Ms. Tanden (questions must be submitted in advance).
This event marks the start of the new Doctors for America Interactive Webcast Series featuring prominent healthcare decision makers and leading health policy experts. The webcasts are interactive and will feature your questions and comments. They represent our commitment to ensuring physicians' voices are heard by the architects and implementors of health reform.
Using your personalized link, registration takes just one click: http://www.drsforamerica.org/webcast/register?id=RtL4Pcct97Mr
See you at the webcast,The Doctors for America Team

To Join Our Mailing List ....

2009-04-13T19:21:00.000-07:00

Last blog post for today.

To join our mailing list or learn more about the IHI Open School Chapter at U of T please email us at :
uoftihichapter@gmail.com

Poster for our Inaugural Event!

2009-04-13T19:19:00.000-07:00

Inaugural Blog Post for Our Inaugural Event!

2009-04-13T19:13:00.000-07:00

Today was a day of firsts for our small, but growing, IHI Open School Chapter at the University of Toronto.

We held our first event, a guided tour of the Center for Global eHealth Innovation Human Factors Lab this afternoon and had fantastic turnout from students across the health professions, as well as faculty members. For more info on the Human Factors Lab please check out their website : www.humanfactors.ca

The second first is the first blog post! We will try to blog regularly on topics of interest, focused on health care quality and safety, both locally within the U of T community, but more broadly in anything that is of interest to our diverse chapter.

Watch this space.... more to come!