Public reporting requirements equal higher patient safety standards
Workshop scheduled to help hospitals prepare to meet reporting requirements imposed by ministry
Thursday June 12, 2008 -- Jason Thompson
Clara Ballantine, safety and improvement adviser with the Quality Healthcare Network (QHN), says the decision from the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care mandating hospitals to publicly report patient safety indicators can only improve the quality of care patients receive.

The ministry unveiled its plan to introduce new public reporting requirements May 28, saying it will create an unprecedented level of transparency in Ontario’s hospitals.

“It means more hospitals have begun to work on these really important initiatives because essentially they’ve been mandated to by the ministry,” Ballantine says. “I also think we’re going to see where the gaps are in terms of ability to do improvement work in the province.”

The new reporting requirements are set to be introduced in three phases starting Sept. 30, 2008 with Clostridium difficile.

"The new reporting framework reflects our commitment to uphold the highest standards of care for Ontario's patients," said Health and Long-Term Care Minister George Smitherman in a news release.

"Transparency may not always provide us with the news we want to hear but it leads to the actions we all need to take to combat the risks of infection."

Dr. Michael Baker, physician-in-chief at the University Health Network, said hospitals need to alert the public as to how they’re performing. Baker has also been appointed to oversee the government’s patient safety agenda.

"We can then measure our progress in improving safety standards. This announcement on reporting places us among the leaders of patient safety in hospitals across the country," Baker said in a news release.

In an effort to help hospitals meet the new reporting requirements and support continuous safety and quality improvement efforts, an interactive workshop called “Eating the Elephant," has been organized by the QHN, which serves as the Ontario lead for the Safer Healthcare Now (SHN) campaign.

The event will be attended by Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care officials who will outline for participants the conditions of new provincial reporting requirements. It will consist of a number of interactive sessions led by prominent safety and quality improvement professionals from across Canada.

“The important piece is not only that you submit your data, but that if it’s publicly reported, you’re going to be very motivated to improve your results over time,” Ballantine says.

“This is not something that comes naturally to most clinicians and you do need some help, some resources and some improvement knowledge to be successful in doing the improvement work.”

To register for the event, visit www.qhn.ca. For more information, contact Ballantine via e-mail at clara.ballantine(at)qhn.ca or Sean Malloy via e-mail at sean.malloy(at)qhn.ca.

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