With so much going on and with so much at stake at VCH, it is important that information is communicated efficiently and effectively. That is why we have the Information Transfer group, which is focused on improving quality and consistency on how our organization manages communication between care providers (e.g. nurses, physicians, allied health) when patient care is transferred. This can occur either at shift changes, for example, where a new nurse is taking on the care of a patient from a nurse going off shift, or when a patient is being transferred from one unit or facility to another, for example being sent from the emergency department up to an inpatient unit.

“The work of this group is to fill in gaps across our organization in the quality and consistency of information transfer for patient care transitions,” says Emily Rose, the Information Transfer Group lead and a human factors specialist. “Our work will provide the foundation towards a consistent and standardized regional approach to information transfer with clear guidelines and structure for those areas without a formal information transfer process.”

As a part of VCH-wide Accreditation 2016, the group is working to ensure we meet the Tests of Compliance to the Required Organizational Practices (ROP) for the care and safety of our patients, clients and residents.

Sechelt team members Sherryl Hoskins and Lauren Tindall.

“I’m really proud of the team,” Emily says. “Moving forward, we will be establishing pilot sites to begin implementation of these policies and supporting documentation which will demonstrate to surveyors our vision for how our organization manages communication between care providers when patient care is transferred.”

She says the group will prepare VCH to meet the new Required Organizational Practices set out by Accreditation Canada around Information Transfer at Care Transitions, with a focus on shift handover (coverage changes for healthcare providers) and transfers, both within facilities (e.g. ED to inpatient unit) and between facilities (e.g. acute to residential care).

Learn more

Learn more about VCH Accreditation 2016 on VCH Connect.