Qualitycast North

In this episode, we return to Bulkley Valley District Hospital in Smithers, Northwest BC who, by combining high-level collaboration between local physicians, front line staff and operational leaders with quality improvement methodology, have generated startling improvements in what matters to staff throughout the hospital. Today’s guest Dr. Kalah Blackstock, a local family physician and the Physician Quality Improvement Advisor for Northern Health takes us through their work building a healthier and more satisfied workforce whilst at the same time delivering a QI masterclass in multi-stakeholder collaboration and problem solving. Special shout out from Dr. Blackstock to the incredible team who made this work happen: Irindu Liyanage, Levi Giles, Ashley van der Meulen, Kate Niethammer, Darren Jakubec, Elena Raykov, Jen Comeau, Sophia Oumzil, Darcie Wadley, Cormac Hikisch, Billiejean Beaubien, and Emily Beirnes.Their collective efforts exemplify what can be achieved when people come together with shared purpose, curiosity, and care for both patients and one another.IHI Framework for Improving Joy in Work

As overfilled hospitals everywhere are struggling to cope with a busy winter of respiratory disease and influenza, many in healthcare are calling for a more “upstream” approach to preventing Emergency Department visits and hospital admissions. But intervening upstream is more difficult than it sounds. Today’s guests have done just this. Talking us through their award-winning, quality improvement work in reducing ED visits and hospital admissions for patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease are Donna Jouantapp, Lina Alsakran and Dr. Zoe Pullan from Cowichan on Vancouver Island. In this interview, we learn how a well-designed project with a dedicated, inclusive and nimble team can overcome obstacles on the path to sustainable, cost effective and patient-centered care. Links: The INSPIRED COPD Outreach Program and COPD Care and Education Nova Scotia

Listeners will be familiar with the physician-led healthcare quality improvement work featured on this podcast, but they may not be familiar with how this work is formally supported at the Provincial level. In this episode, we interview Cindy Myles, the Vice President of the Specialist Services Committee, who gives us a primer on British Columbia’s unique, Joint Collaborative Committees and the importance of multipartite collaboration when addressing healthcare’s “wicked” problems. We hear how collaboration generates more sustainable change and how, during this challenging time for healthcare delivery, working together to improve the system can bring us hope for healthcare’s future.Links:SSC NewsThe Exchange, a database of quality improvement projects supported by SSC and the Shared Care Committee JCC Website