Safer Healthcare Now!

Safer Healthcare Now!
Name	Safer Healthcare Now!
Formation	2004
Headquarters	Toronto, Ontario
Region served	Canada
Focus	Patient safety, quality improvement

Safer Healthcare Now! was a Canadian national campaign launched to accelerate adoption of evidence-based patient safety practices across Canada. It aimed to reduce preventable harm by promoting standardized care bundles, measurement, and collaborative learning among hospitals, clinics, and policy bodies such as Health Canada and provincial ministries like Ontario Ministry of Health. The campaign linked clinical leaders, academic centres, accreditation bodies, and advocacy organizations—bringing together stakeholders including Canadian Patient Safety Institute, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, Accreditation Canada, and provincial agencies from Alberta Health Services to Nova Scotia Health Authority.

Overview

Safer Healthcare Now! promoted implementation of quality-improvement interventions drawn from international work such as the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, World Health Organization, British National Health Service, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and the Joint Commission. Its model emphasized clinical care pathways, measurement strategies, rapid-cycle improvement, and interprofessional collaboration among practitioners from institutions like Mount Sinai Hospital (Toronto), St. Michael's Hospital (Toronto), Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, The Ottawa Hospital, and teaching centres linked to universities such as the University of Toronto, McMaster University, University of British Columbia, Université de Montréal, and Queen's University. The campaign interfaced with initiatives led by Canadian Medical Association, Health Quality Ontario, Institut national d'excellence en santé et en services sociaux, and international partners including National Health Service (England), Agency for Clinical Innovation (NSW), and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

History and Development

Launched in 2004 with leadership from the Canadian Patient Safety Institute and funders such as Health Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the campaign built on prior efforts including the To Err Is Human report and global patient-safety movements influenced by figures associated with Marc Benbow and organizations like the Institute of Medicine. Early development convened clinicians from tertiary centres such as Toronto General Hospital and policy experts from provincial ministries including British Columbia Ministry of Health and Alberta Health Services. Collaborations extended to academic programs at McGill University, Dalhousie University, Western University, Simon Fraser University, and professional colleges like the Canadian Nurses Association and College of Family Physicians of Canada.

Key Patient Safety Initiatives

The campaign packaged interventions into "care bundles" addressing areas such as prevention of central line-associated bloodstream infections, ventilator-associated pneumonia, surgical site infection prevention, and prevention of medication errors. Initiatives drew on methods from the Model for Improvement and tools used by Institute for Healthcare Improvement campaigns like the 100,000 Lives Campaign. Clinical protocols referenced guidelines from Canadian Cardiovascular Society, Canadian Stroke Consortium, Infectious Diseases Society of America, Society of Critical Care Medicine, American Thoracic Society, and specialty societies such as Canadian Paediatric Society and Canadian Orthopaedic Association. Educational outreach involved professional bodies including Canadian Pharmacists Association, Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists, Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians, and accreditation stakeholders like Accreditation Canada.

Implementation and Adoption

Implementation relied on collaborative networks, regional leads, and teaching hospitals deploying Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles supported by measurement frameworks from organizations such as Statistics Canada and research partnerships with universities including Université Laval and University of Calgary. Adoption was catalyzed by provincial quality agencies like Health Quality Ontario and partnerships with health system operators including Saskatchewan Health Authority and Manitoba Health. Toolkits and training sessions incorporated expertise from Canadian Patient Safety Institute programs, simulation centres at Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, and continuing medical education offered through the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and College of Family Physicians of Canada.

Outcomes and Impact

Reported outcomes included reductions in targeted harms such as central line infections, surgical complications, and bloodstream infections at participating hospitals including Hamilton Health Sciences and London Health Sciences Centre. The campaign informed policy discussions within Health Canada and provincial ministries, influenced accreditation standards at Accreditation Canada, and contributed evidence for national reporting frameworks discussed at forums including the Canadian Patient Safety Conference and academic journals published by presses associated with University of Toronto Press and societies such as the Canadian Medical Association Journal. Research collaborations produced evaluations involving investigators affiliated with McMaster University, University of Ottawa, University of Alberta, and funding bodies including Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

Challenges and Criticisms

Critics highlighted variability in uptake across rural and northern regions served by authorities such as Nunavut Department of Health and Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority, limitations in measurement standardization noted by analysts at Canadian Institute for Health Information, and sustainability concerns raised by stakeholders including provincial finance ministries like Ontario Ministry of Finance. Debates involved academic groups at McGill University and policy analysts from think tanks such as the Fraser Institute and Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement about resource allocation, scalability, and equity. Some clinicians and specialty societies including the Canadian Anesthesiologists' Society called for more tailored protocols for complex surgical populations.

Governance and Partnerships

Governance included multi-stakeholder steering committees with representation from Canadian Patient Safety Institute, provincial health ministries, academic health science centres such as St. Joseph's Health Care (London) and Hamilton Health Sciences, and partner organizations like Canadian Patient Safety Institute collaborators, Canadian Nurses Association, Canadian Medical Association, College of Family Physicians of Canada, and accreditation bodies including Accreditation Canada. International engagement involved exchanges with World Health Organization patient-safety programmes, Institute for Healthcare Improvement collaboratives, and quality agencies such as the National Health Service (England). The campaign’s legacy informed later national efforts coordinated by institutions like the Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement and provincial quality agencies including Health Quality Ontario.

Category:Patient safety