Measuring and Monitoring Healthcare-Associated Infections: A Canadian Collaboration to Better Understand the Magnitude of the Problem.

Patients should never have to worry about getting an infection while in hospital. Yet every year, many hospitalized Canadians continue to acquire an infection during their hospital stay and experience increased morbidity and mortality as a result of these healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) (PHAC 2019b). Measuring and monitoring HAIs provide key data to better understand the magnitude of the problem. In Canada, there are inconsistencies in the use of standardized HAI case definitions and surveillance practices. These inconsistencies make it difficult to provide benchmarks and set targets to help reduce the rate of HAIs in Canadian hospitals.

Intraprofessional Practice Education using a community partnership model.

The Intraprofessional Practice Education (IPE) pilot project was designed to increase the number of high-quality practice education settings and to develop intraprofessional learning opportunities for nursing students from three different prelicensure programs. Students from the licensed practical nurse, registered nurse, and registered psychiatric nurse programs shared their practice education experience concurrently in a rural First Nations community. This project's framework, the Partnership Model for Community Health Nursing Education (PMCHNE), is described and includes an explanation of the planning and coordination that occurred prior to implementation of the pilot project. Various student practice education and cultural experiences are highlighted, and the results from the project's evaluation are discussed, including the utility of the PMCHNE and the benefits and challenges associated with implementing an IPE experience.

Caregivers at the Heart of Reimagined Long-Term Care Delivery in Canada: Beyond the Pandemic.

The dominant narrative through the pandemic focused on the perils associated with the transmission of COVID-19. This led to restrictive policies in long-term care that prevented family caregivers from being physically present to participate in their loved ones' care. There is growing evidence that such policies resulted in harm to residents, family members and staff. The path forward highlights the need for balanced policies and practices to ensure that compassionate, person-centred and partnered care is not lost, whether in times of calm or crisis.

Nursing education: a catalyst for the patient safety movement.

Creating a culture of safety in healthcare systems is a goal of leaders in the patient safety movement. Commitment of leadership to safety in the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology (SIAST) Nursing Division has resulted in the development of the Patient Safety Project Team (PSPT) and a steady shift in the culture of the organization toward a systems approach to patient safety. Graduates prepared with the competencies necessary to be diligent about their practice and skilled in determining the root causes of system error in healthcare will become leaders in shifting the healthcare culture to strengthen patient safety. The PSPT believes this cultural shift begins with the education system. It involves modifications to curricula content, facilitation of multidisciplinary processes, and inclusion of theory and practice that reflect critical inquiry into healthcare and nursing education systems to ensure patient safety. In this paper the practical approaches and initiatives of the PSPT are reviewed. The integration of Patient Safety Core Curriculum modules for competency development is described. The policy for reporting adverse events and near misses is outlined. In addition, the student-focused reporting tool, the results and the implications for teaching in the clinical setting are discussed. Processes used to engage faculty are also addressed.

Unsafe student clinical performance calls for a systematic approach.

Patient safety is the responsibility of both the system and the individual practitioner. Unsafe incidents are a very real possibility when nursing students are preparing for their profession. The curriculum committee of the Nursing Education Program of Saskatchewan (NEPS) identified the need for a unified and consistent process related to students who demonstrate unsafe clinical performance. Many clinical teachers experience difficulty in identifying and making decisions related to students' unsafe performance. The authors describe the development of a systematic approach that was adopted by NEPS in June 2005 and is being used across all program years and sites. The approach provides students with a fair and just process and reflects the responsibility of the educational program to prepare graduates who will provide safe, competent care.

Case study: on the leading edge of new curricula concepts: systems and safety in nursing education.

The Nursing Division of the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology (SIAST) first included systems and patient safety as a priority in its institutional business and strategic plan in 2003. Three interrelated leading-edge, two-year projects (2004-2006) were launched: Best Practice, Mentorship and Patient Safety, with the intent that each project would enhance the others. This case study focuses on the work of the Patient Safety Project Team. The team developed a project framework and strategic plan, conducted a literature review and identified key concepts related to systems and patient safety. Strategies to integrate these concepts into the school's 15 nursing education programs are being implemented.