Good news was received from Accreditation Canada on January 20th: for the fourth time, Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC) achieved the National Stroke Distinction Award for Acute Stroke Services! KHSC was commended for its many strengths in the delivery of stroke care and prevention, including strong leadership support and a strong dedicated and knowledgeable interprofessional team providing the best care for patients. The collaborative partnerships formed in stroke care both within KHSC and externally were noted to strengthen the services delivered. Meanwhile, Quinte Health (QH) is actively preparing for their first Stroke Distinction survey in May. The team is excited to be going for the Stroke Distinction Award for both Acute and Rehabilitation Services. They are actively compiling their evidence for how they are achieving the Stroke Distinction components.
The Accreditation Canada Stroke Distinction Program provides a helpful framework for quality improvement based on the Canadian Stroke Best Practices. Continuously sustaining the Award recognizes and celebrates the good work by everyone connected to stroke care and prevention and identifies opportunities for improvement against objective and evidence-based national standards. The survey included a rigorous review of stroke care best practice standards, protocols, performance indicators, patient and family education, and an innovative project. In the recent KHSC Survey, the innovation presented was the successful Fast Track initiative between Providence Care Hospital and KHSC. The recent 2023 KHSC Survey Report noted many strengths and notably, that members of the team were recognized with words such as: “a breath of fresh air, supportive, intelligent, devoted, and hard workers.” Patients and family members who were interviewed were appreciative of the caring and respectful approach of all the team members and student learners; they recognized the expertise of the stroke team members and their efficiency in delivering stroke care and treatments in a timely manner. Many at KHSC shared congratulatory messages about this latest achievement including:
- Dr. Pichora, President & CEO: “Our Stroke Program is a point of pride at KHSC” and “excellent, great teamwork as always.”
- Dr. Michael Fitzpatrick, Executive Vice President of Medical & Academic Affairs & Chief of Staff: “It was a very proud moment to hear the accolades that the reviewers gave about our superlative door-to-needle times, the collegiality and patient-centred nature of our Stroke Program, the strong partnerships with our local and regional providers, and the nimble responsiveness of the program to new research evidence. This is truly exceptional team, providing exceptional care.”
- Jason Hann, Executive Vice Present of Patient Care and Chief Nursing Executive: “Meeting 100% of the Standards is an exceptional achievement considering the environment we have been operating in since 2020. Congratulations on the outstanding results. You all should be very proud of the word class stroke care provided at KHSC.”
Congratulations to each and every one of you across the region who contributed to this Award! Learn More Under Projects
Quinte Health-Belleville General site is now in the final preparation phase for its first Stroke Distinction Accreditation survey on May 28-30, 2023. Quinte Health is participating in the Stroke Distinction Program for Acute and Rehabilitation stroke services. The team has been actively preparing for their survey since Fall, 2021, including:
- a rigorous self-assessment of the 161 standards; identifying and completing quality improvement initiatives;
- gathering the data to meet the 18 new key quality indicators;
- reviewing and updating the 20 clinical protocols;
- continuing the work to build on the success of the 2019 innovation project Using QI Processes to Improve Stroke Thrombolysis Door to Needle Times; and
- revising the stroke education program for patients and families on the Integrated Stroke Unit.
Leaders in stroke care at Quinte Health welcome the opportunity that Stroke Distinction Accreditation offers for the organization to profile the excellent work that the frontline staff do every day.
“Our Stroke Program started in 2005 and has progressed in scope, year by year. Stroke Distinction will tie everything together and allow us to ensure we carry out best practices across all spheres of stroke care. We already know that we do stroke care exceptionally well but working towards Stroke Distinction is the next logical step to taking our stroke program to the next level.” (Dr. Andrew Samis, Quinte Health Physician Stroke Champion)
“Stroke Distinction is about recognizing the hard work that the frontline teams do to create great outcomes for patients. It’s also about acknowledging that we really do, and should, stand out as leaders in stroke care.” (Melissa Roblin, Stroke Resource Nurse)