HEALTH CARE
Improving health care
one step
at a time
By Shannon Boklaschuk, Health Quality Council
D
r. Susan Shaw is no stranger to the intensive care unit.
As a physician working in critical care and anesthesiology in the Saskatoon Health Region, she has spent countless hours there.
Yet Shaw’s perspective on the ICU changed recently. As part
of Saskatchewan’s first Change Day, Shaw pledged to spend
an hour in the noisiest ICU bed, paying attention to what it
might feel like to be a patient.
Her experience resulted in some interesting observations.
“The first thing I noticed was that even though it wasn’t very
loud, the noise was continuous. I could hear beeps, alarms,
voices, foot traffic and conversations about the care being
planned or provided. My mind went to thinking about how
much I don’t like noise when I’m stressed or feeling unwell,
and that this must be amplified for patients or families in
our ICUs,” she said.
“I also noticed how much collaboration and support the
doctors, nurses, pharmacists, dietitians, housekeepers and
special care aides provided to our families, patients and
each other on a continuous basis. That made me proud.”
The experience in the ICU reminded Shaw that medical care
settings can feel “unnatural” and “odd.” This reminder has
impacted the way she interacts with patients and family
members, who may be feeling frightened or overwhelmed.
“I’ve noticed that I’m now spending more time sitting with
families at the patient’s bedside to try to better explain
what is happening to their loved one. I thought I was doing
a pretty good job of this before my Change Day pledge, but
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now I think I can do better based on what I noticed and felt
in the ICU bed,” she said.
As part of Saskatchewan Change Day, which was held on
Nov. 6, 2014, people were encouraged to pledge to do one
small thing to help improve the health care system, the care
they provide, their workplaces or themselves. The campaign, which was organized by the province’s Health Quality Council (HQC), was modelled after the highly successful
National Health Service (NHS) Change Day in the United
Kingdom. Since the NHS held its first Change Day on March
13, 2013, Change Day events have been held in several other countries, including Australia and Sweden.
Shaw, who is HQC’s board chair, played a key role in bringing the Change Day concept to Saskatchewan.
“I had watched the energy and excitement that the first NHS
Change Day was able to build in England. I thought that
Saskatchewan would also embrace such a positive and fun
idea,” she said.
She was right.
Saskatchewan Change Day was supported by patients
and health care professionals throughout the province,
including members of the Saskatchewan Medical Association (SMA) board. For example, SMA Vice-President Dr.
Mark Brown pledged to double the number of house calls
he makes to those who are unwell and who find it difficult
to visit his office. SMA board member Dr. Shayne Burwell
pledged to arrange his office on Change Day so that no
patient would have to wait to see him. He also pledged to
greet each patient as they arrived.