Increasing Continuous Glucose Monitoring Use for Non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic People With Type 1 Diabetes: Results From the T1D Exchange Quality Improvement Collaborative Equity Study.

Despite the benefits of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM), there is lower use of this technology among non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic people with type 1 diabetes compared with their non-Hispanic White counterparts. The T1D Exchange Quality Improvement Collaborative recruited five endocrinology centers to pilot an equity-focused quality improvement (QI) study to reduce racial inequities in CGM use. The centers used rapid QI cycles to test and expand interventions such as provider bias training, translation of CGM materials, provision of CGM education in multiple languages, screening for social determinants of health, and shared decision-making. After implementation of these interventions, median CGM use increased by 7% in non-Hispanic White, 12% in non-Hispanic Black, and 15% in Hispanic people with type 1 diabetes. The gap between non-Hispanic White and non-Hispanic Black patients decreased by 5%, and the gap between non-Hispanic White and Hispanic patients decreased by 8%.

Quality Tool School: Improving the Delivery of Quality Improvement Education in a Children's Hospital.

Background: In 2013, Nationwide Children's Hospital's (NCH) Quality Tool School (QTS) was created as an initial Quality Improvement educational series, composed of three separate classes, totaling 5.5 hours of hands-on QI training. QTS complemented the NCH 40-hour Quality Improvement Essentials course. Methods: Over 10 years, the series went through three phases of aims: Phase 1: develop and implement three core courses (Project Tools, Excel, and Control Charts); Phase 2: have participants complete the entire series of all three classes; Phase 3: have participants who complete the entire series of all three classes demonstrate the application of learning through involvement in a quality improvement project. Results: Since initiation, QTS has provided an educational entry point for 1428 NCH employees to participate in QI projects and teams. QTS has shown statistically significant improvement in 2 of the 3 principal aims. The Phase 1 metric of average monthly one-class participation completion percentage showed a statistically significant centerline shift from 9 to 16 students in October 2018. The Phase 3 metric Percentage of QTS participants completing the QTS series of classes and then participating in a QI team began in 2016 with a baseline of 42%. A centerline shift from 42% to 63% occurred in Q4 2018. Conclusions: QTS can provide QI education to healthcare system employees using limited resources. Organizations that strategically integrate a culture of QI into core beliefs can realize substantial improvement gains.

Achieving Equity in Diabetes Research: Borrowing From the Field of Quality Improvement Using a Practical Framework and Improvement Tools.

There are limited tools to address equity in diabetes research and clinical trials. The T1D Exchange has established a 10-step equity framework to advance equity in diabetes research. Herein, the authors outline this approach and expand on its practical application.

Improving Hepatitis B Vaccination Rates among At-risk Children and Adolescents with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) receiving tumor necrosis factor alpha inhibitors (TNFai) may be at higher risk for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. We conducted a quality improvement (QI) initiative to improve HBV vaccination rates in seronegative children with IBD. Methods: This QI initiative implemented an HBV vaccination strategy from September 2018 to March 2020 in patients with newly diagnosed IBD with hepatitis B surface antibody (HBsAb) <10 mIU/mL. The project aimed to (1) increase HBV vaccination rates in seronegative patients and (2) document immunogenicity after completing a three-dose vaccine series. Outcome measures included the percentage of seronegative patients who received HBV vaccines (dose 1 and three-dose series). Interventions included applying a standardized vaccination protocol, and creating a vaccine workflow in two clinical areas, previsit planning and stakeholder engagement. Results: One hundred seventy-four children and adolescents with IBD were evaluated during the study period, and 132 (76%) were HBsAb negative. After plan-do-study-act (PDSA) 1, the proportion of eligible patients who received HBV vaccine dose 1 increased from a baseline of 7% to 100% and was sustained for over 12 months. During PDSA 2, the proportion of patients completing the three-dose vaccine series improved from a baseline of 0% to 82% (n = 100); among 93 children in this subgroup who had repeat serology performed, 86 (92%) demonstrated serologic evidence of HBV protection. Conclusions: A multidisciplinary approach applying QI methodology allowed for improved and sustained HBV vaccination rates in at-risk seronegative children and adolescents with IBD. A three-dose HBV vaccine series proved immunogenic in 92% of eligible patients.

Quality improvement methodology can reduce hospitalisation for abscess management.

BACKGROUND: Abscesses are a common reason for ED visits. While many are drained in the ED, some require drainage in the operating room (OR). We observed that a higher percentage of patients at our institution in Columbus, Ohio, were admitted to the hospital with abscesses for incision and drainage (I&D) in the OR than other institutions, including paediatric institutions. Our aim was to decrease hospitalisations for abscess management. METHODS: A multidisciplinary team convened to decrease hospitalisation for patients with abscesses and completed multiple 'Plan-Do-Study-Act' cycles, including increasing I&Ds performed in the ED. Other interventions included implementation of a clinical pathway, training of procedure technicians (PT), updating the electronic medical record (EMR), credentialing advanced practice nurses in sedation and individual follow-up with providers for admitted patients. Data were analysed using statistical process control charts. Gross average charges were assessed. RESULTS: Admissions for I&D decreased from 26.3% to 13.7%. Abscess drainage in the ED improved from 79.3% to 96.5%. Mean length of stay decreased from 19.5 to 11.5 hours for all patients. Patients sedated increased from 3.3% to 18.2%. The number of repeat I&Ds within 30 days decreased from 4.3% to 1.7%. CONCLUSION: We decreased hospitalisations for abscess I&D by using quality improvement methodology. The most influential intervention was an initiative to increase I&Ds performed in the ED. Additional interventions included expanded training of PTs, implementation of a clinical pathway, updating the EMR, improving interdepartmental communication and increasing sedation providers.

Increasing Insulin Pump Use Among 12- to 26-Year-Olds With Type 1 Diabetes: Results From the T1D Exchange Quality Improvement Collaborative.

Insulin pump therapy in pediatric type 1 diabetes has been associated with better glycemic control than multiple daily injections. However, insulin pump use remains limited. This article describes an initiative from the T1D Exchange Quality Improvement Collaborative aimed at increasing insulin pump use in patients aged 12-26 years with type 1 diabetes from a baseline of 45% in May 2018 to >50% by February 2020. Interventions developed by participating centers included increasing in-person and telehealth education about insulin pump technology, creating and distributing tools to assist in informed decision-making, facilitating insulin pump insurance approval and onboarding processes, and improving clinic staff knowledge about insulin pumps. These efforts yielded a 13% improvement in pump use among the five participating centers, from 45 to 58% over 22 months.

Empiric Vancomycin Reduction in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.

BACKGROUND: At our institution, empirical vancomycin is overused in children with suspected bacterial community-acquired infections (CAIs) admitted to the PICU because of high community rates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Our goal was to reduce unnecessary vancomycin use for CAIs in the PICU. METHODS: Empirical PICU vancomycin indications for suspected CAIs were developed by using epidemiological risk factors for MRSA. We aimed to reduce empirical PICU vancomycin use in CAIs by 30%. After retrospectively testing, the indications were implemented and monthly PICU empirical vancomycin use during baseline (May 2017-April 2018) and postintervention (May 2018-July 2019) periods. Education was provided to PICU providers, vancomycin indications were posted, and the antibiotic order set was revised. Statistical process control methods tracked improvement over time. Proven S aureus infections for which vancomycin was not empirically prescribed and linezolid or clindamycin use were balancing measures. RESULTS: We identified 1620 PICU patients with suspected bacterial CAIs. Empirical vancomycin decreased from a baseline of 73% to 45%, a 38% relative reduction. No patient not prescribed empirical vancomycin later required the addition of vancomycin or other MRSA-targeted antibiotics. There was no change in nephrotoxicity or in the balancing measures. CONCLUSIONS: Development of clear and concise recommendations, combined with clinician education and decision support via an order set, was an effective and safe strategy to reduce PICU vancomycin use. Retrospective validation of the recommendations with local data were key to obtaining PICU clinician buy in.

Implementation of a Pharmacist-Led Antimicrobial Time-Out for Medical-Surgery Services in an Academic Pediatric Hospital.

OBJECTIVE: This report describes a quality improvement initiative to implement a pharmacist-led antimicrobial time-out (ATO) in a large, freestanding pediatric hospital. Our goal was to reach 90% ATO completion and documentation for eligible patients hospitalized on general pediatric medicine or surgery services. METHODS: A multidisciplinary quality improvement team developed an ATO process and electronic documentation tool. Clinical pharmacists were responsible to initiate and document an ATO for pediatric medicine or surgery patients on or before the fifth calendar day of therapy. The quality improvement team educated pharmacists and physicians and provided ATO audit and feedback to the pharmacists. We used statistical process control methods to track monthly rates of ATO completion retrospectively from October 2017 through March 2018 and prospectively from April 2018 through April 2019. Additionally, we retrospectively evaluated the completion of 6 data elements in the ATO note over the final 12-month period of the study. RESULTS: Among 647 eligible antimicrobial courses over the 19-month study period, the mean monthly documentation rate increased from 54.6% to 83.5% (p < 0.001). The mean ATO documentation rate increased from 32.8% to 74.2% (p < 0.001) for the pediatric medicine service and from 65.0% to 88.1% for the pediatric surgery service (p = 0.006). Among 302 notes assessed for completeness, 35.8% had all the required data fields completed. A tentative antimicrobial stop date was the data element completed least often (49.3%). CONCLUSIONS: We implemented a pharmacist-led ATO, highlighting the role pharmacists play in antimicrobial stewardship. Additional efforts are needed to further increase ATO completion rates and to define treatment duration.

Optimizing Rapid Sequence Intubation for Medical and Trauma Patients in the Pediatric Emergency Department.

INTRODUCTION: Rapid sequence intubation (RSI) is a critical procedure for severely ill and injured patients presenting to the pediatric emergency department (PED). This procedure has a high risk of complications, and multiple attempts increase this risk. We aimed to increase successful intubation within two attempts, focusing on medical and trauma patients separately to identify improvement barriers for each group. METHODS: A multifaceted intervention was implemented using quality improvement methods. The analysis included adherence to the standardized process, successful intubation within two attempts, and frequency of oxygen saturations <92% during laryngoscopy. Trauma and medical patients were analyzed separately as team composition differed for each. RESULTS: This project began in February 2018, and we included 290 patients between April 2018 and December 2019. Adherence to the standardized process was sustained at 91% for medical patients and a baseline of 55% for trauma patients with a trend toward improvement. In May 2018, we observed and sustained special cause variations for medical patients' successful intubations within two attempts (77-89%). In September 2018, special cause variation was observed and sustained for the successful intubation of trauma patients within two attempts (89-96%). The frequency of oxygen saturation of <92% was 21% for medical patients; only one trauma patient experienced oxygen desaturation. CONCLUSION: Implementation of a standardized process significantly improved successful intubations within two attempts for medical and trauma patients. Trauma teams had more gradual adherence to the standardized process, which may be related to the relative infrequency of intubations and variable team composition.

The Type 1 Diabetes Composite Score: An Innovative Metric for Measuring Patient Care Outcomes Beyond Hemoglobin A1c.

INTRODUCTION: Patient outcomes resulting from optimal type 1 diabetes (T1D) care have historically focused on driving a single metric, hemoglobin A1c. Our objectives were to design, build, and launch an aggregate clinical indicator that comprehensively reflects patient management status beyond hemoglobin A1c alone. This project aimed to show proof of principle that an aggregate score comprised of T1D outcome metrics could be built to track quality performance. METHODS: We established an electronic medical record-based diabetes registry and utilized its population health modules to design and build this diabetes care metric. Elements representing optimal diabetes management, as defined by current guidelines and expert opinion, were identified. Nine elements fall into categories of management tools, care assessments, and complications risk. The Type 1 Diabetes Composite Score (T1DCS) aggregates these outcome measures to reflect the overall diabetes care status for each patient. Higher scores suggest better management and overall improved patient health. RESULTS: We launched this metric build in November 2018 and applied the scoring to our T1D population (≈1,900 patients). The T1DCS quickly provides a summary of current diabetes management status. T1DCS viewed over the registry cohort demonstrates a normal distribution, and scores improved from March to September 2019, reflecting better care and outcomes, and illustrating the potential to track program effectiveness. CONCLUSIONS: The T1DCS is a useful metric to evaluate the clinical status of T1D patients, assess the capability of a clinical program to achieve optimal diabetes outcomes, identify patient diversity opportunities, and document outcome improvement as a novel comprehensive quality measure.

Triage Standing Orders Decrease Time to Antibiotics in Neonates in Pediatric Emergency Department.

INTRODUCTION: Infants aged 0 days to 28 days are at high risk for serious bacterial infection and require an extensive evaluation, including blood, urine, and cerebrospinal fluid cultures, and admission for empiric antibiotics. Although there are no guidelines that recommend a specific time to antibiotics for these infants, quicker administration is presumed to improve care and outcomes. At baseline, 19% of these infants in our emergency department received antibiotics within 120 minutes of arrival, with an average time to antibiotics of 192 minutes. A quality improvement team convened to increase our percentage of infants who receive antibiotics within 120 minutes of arrival. METHODS: The team evaluated all infants aged 0 days to 28 days who received a diagnostic evaluation for a serious bacterial infection and empiric antibiotics in our emergency department. A nurse-driven team implemented multiple Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles to improve use of triage standing orders and improve time to antibiotics. Data were analyzed using statistical process control charts. RESULTS: Through use of triage standing orders and multiple educational interventions, the team surpassed initial goals, and 84% of the infants undergoing a serious bacterial infection evaluation received antibiotics within 120 minutes of ED arrival. The average time to antibiotics improved to 74 minutes. DISCUSSION: The use of triage standing orders improves time to antibiotics for infants undergoing a serious bacterial infection evaluation. Increased use, associated with nurse empowerment to drive the flow of these patients, leads to a joint-responsibility model within the emergency department. The cultural shift to allow nurse-initiated work-ups leads to sustained improvement in time to antibiotics.

Decreasing the Duration of Discharge Antibiotic Treatment Following Inpatient Skin and Soft Tissue Abscess Drainage.

INTRODUCTION: Skin and soft tissue abscesses do not require prolonged systemic antimicrobial treatment following drainage. We aimed to decrease the duration of discharge antibiotic treatment to less than 5 days following inpatient incision and drainage of uncomplicated abscesses. METHODS: A new treatment protocol that defined uncomplicated abscesses, as well as inclusion and exclusion criteria, was created to monitor the accurate duration of prescribed therapy at discharge. We implemented a treatment algorithm that takes into account the epidemiologic changes in microbial etiologies and the presence of systemic findings for patients after surgical incision and drainage. We used control charts to assess the impact of the interventions. RESULTS: Four hundred and eighteen patients were discharged following abscess drainage from our inpatient infectious diseases unit in 2016. The patients were 3 months to 21 years of age. Only 72 (17%) patients had prescribed discharge antibiotic treatment courses that were less than 5 days [range 0-31 days, median 8 days (IQR 6, 9)], and the average prescribed course at discharge was 8.6 days. During the study period, we significantly decreased the average duration of discharge antibiotics to 7.3 days in all patients (P = 0.0016, 95% CI: -2.1036 to -0.4964, difference of means -1.3). The discharge treatment duration of patients with uncomplicated abscess was shorter at 4.7 days [range 0-9 days, median 5 days, (IQR 3, 5)]. Prescription compliance to less than 5 days treatment course at discharge increased from the baseline of 17% to 42% overall. CONCLUSIONS: Standardizing definitions of uncomplicated skin and soft tissue abscesses was critical to the success of this project. In addition to possible improved treatment adherence and decreased side effects, our protocol led to decreased patient care costs with no documented changes in readmission rates.

The diabetes care index: A novel metric to assess delivery of optimal type 1 diabetes care.

OBJECTIVES: The American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the International Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetes (ISPAD) have outlined standards for best practices in providing optimal diabetes care to children with type 1 diabetes (T1D). Our objectives were to design a metric that evaluated delivery of optimal diabetes care and to use this metric to drive improvement within our diabetes program. METHODS: Using published guidelines, we identified 11 elements of optimal diabetes care that should be reliably delivered at our institution as standard-of-care. We utilized our electronic medical record to aid in data collection and to notify staff when to deliver specific care elements (eg, lipid collection, depression screening, etc.). We designed the T1D Care Index (T1DCI), a metric which aggregates missed opportunities to deliver elements of optimal diabetes care over a given period into a cumulative score, with a lower T1DCI reflecting better care delivery and improved program performance. RESULTS: Tracking the T1DCI permitted recognition of areas to focus on quality improvement efforts, guided interventions to improve processes for care delivery, and helped determine the allocation of time and resources. Interventions resulted in improvement of care delivery across some elements of care. Overall, we observed a 26% reduction in the T1DCI after 12 months of utilization. CONCLUSIONS: The T1DCI is a powerful metric to evaluate the ability of our diabetes program to standardize, quantify, and monitor delivery of optimal diabetes care to children with T1D, and to drive our program toward zero missed opportunities for quality care delivery.

A Quality Improvement Initiative to Increase the Number of Pediatric Resident Laceration Repairs.

BACKGROUND: Pediatric residents must demonstrate competence in several clinical procedures prior to graduation, including simple laceration repair. However, residents may lack opportunities to perform laceration repairs during training, affecting their ability and confidence to perform this procedure. OBJECTIVE: We implemented a quality improvement initiative to increase the number of laceration repairs logged by pediatric residents from a baseline mean of 6.75 per month to more than 30 repairs logged monthly. METHODS: We followed the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's Model for Improvement with rapid plan-do-study-act cycles. From July 2016 to February 2018, we increased the number of procedure shifts and added an education module on performing laceration repairs for residents in a pediatric emergency department at a large tertiary hospital. We used statistical process control charting to document improvement. Our outcome measure was the number of laceration repairs documented in resident procedure logs. We followed the percentage of lacerations repairs completed by residents as a process measure and length of stay as a balancing measure. RESULTS: Following the interventions, logged laceration repairs initially increased from 6.75 to 22.75 per month for the residency program. After the number of procedure shifts decreased, logged repairs decreased to 13.40 per month and the percentage of lacerations repaired by residents also decreased. We noted an increased length of stay for patients whose lacerations were repaired by residents. CONCLUSIONS: While our objective was not met, our quality improvement initiative resulted in more logged laceration repairs. The most effective intervention was dedicated procedure shifts.

Validation of a risk screening tool for pediatric type 1 diabetes patients: a predictor of increased acute health care utilization.

Background Both psychosocial and socioeconomic risk factors contribute to poor glycemic control (GC). Previous research has identified that diabetes care behaviors are generally 'set' by late childhood, further highlighting the importance of psychosocial screening and intervention in the early course of disease management. The purpose of the current study was to determine whether this brief risk assessment tool is associated with GC and acute health care (HC) utilization, and to evaluate the discriminatory utility of the tool for predicting poor outcomes. Methods This was a retrospective cohort design in which we compared risk assessment scores with health outcomes at 6, 12, and 18 months after new-onset type 1 diabetes diagnosis for 158 patients between 2015 and 2017. The two primary outcome variables were GC and acute HC utilization. Results Our data demonstrate that the greatest utility of the tool is for predicting increased acute HC utilization. It was most useful in differentiating between patients with vs. without any acute HC utilization, with excellent discriminatory ability (area under the receiver operator characteristic curve [AUC] = 0.93), sensitivity (90%), and specificity (97%). Conclusions Knowledge of the risk category in addition to identification of individual risk factors within each domain allows for not only clear treatment pathways but also individualized interventions. The risk assessment tool was less effective at differentiating patients with poor GC; however, the tool did have high specificity (83%) for predicting poor GC at 18 months which suggests that the tool may also be useful for predicting patients at risk for poor GC.

Increasing Trichomonas vaginalis testing for high-risk adolescents a pediatric emergency department.

BACKGROUND: Trichomonas is a common sexually transmitted infection (STI) among adolescents, causing vaginal discharge, pelvic pain, and dysuria. Affected individuals have increased susceptibility to other STIs and may have pregnancy complications. A quality improvement project was developed to increase trichomonas testing among high-risk adolescent patients from 40% in July 2014 to 100% by December 31, 2014, and sustain over 6 months. METHODS: An interdisciplinary team (providers and support staff) was assembled to address this objective. We collected 6 months of baseline data. Deploying the Institute for Healthcare Improvement Model for Improvement, we formulated an aim statement and identified key drivers. We used cause analysis to identify interventions for each problem area. Multiple Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles were undertaken, and results were monitored using control charts. Interventions included increasing awareness and education for clinical staff; changing computer order entry for the test; using order sets for STI; and adding a Licensed Professional Initiated Protocol to nurse ordering practice. These interventions were all done in conjunction with feedback to providers for individual missed cases. RESULTS: Over 18 months, the trichomonas testing rate rose with each intervention: from 25% (January 2014) to 98% (December 2014), which we have sustained through June 2015. IMPLICATIONS AND CONTRIBUTIONS: This article demonstrates the successful use of quality improvement methodology to increase rates of Trichomonas vaginalis testing among at-risk adolescent patients. Increased testing results in increased detection and improved treatment and sexual health for our patients. CONCLUSION: Improving the trichomonas testing process in the pediatric emergency department results in higher screening rates among high-risk adolescent patients.

Urine Culture Follow-up and Antimicrobial Stewardship in a Pediatric Urgent Care Network.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Empiric antibiotic therapy for presumed urinary tract infection (UTI) leads to unnecessary antibiotic exposure in many children whose urine culture results fail to confirm the diagnosis. The objective of this quality improvement study was to improve follow-up management of negative urine culture results in the off-campus urgent care network of Nationwide Children's Hospital to reduce inappropriate antibiotic exposure in children. METHODS: A multidisciplinary task force developed and implemented a protocol for routine nurse and clinician follow-up of urine culture results, discontinuation of unnecessary antibiotics, and documentation in the electronic medical record. Monthly antibiotic discontinuation rates were tracked in empirically treated patients with negative urine culture results from July 2013 through December 2015. Statistical process control methods were used to track improvement over time. Fourteen-day return visits for UTIs were monitored as a balancing measure. RESULTS: During the study period, 910 patients received empiric antibiotic therapy for UTIs but had a negative urine culture result. The antibiotic discontinuation rate increased from 4% to 84%, avoiding 3429 (40%) of 8648 antibiotic days prescribed. Among patients with discontinued antibiotics, none was diagnosed with a UTI within 14 days of the initial urgent care encounter. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of a standard protocol for urine culture follow-up and discontinuation of unnecessary antibiotics was both effective and safe in a high-volume pediatric urgent care network. Urine culture follow-up management is an essential opportunity for improved antimicrobial stewardship in the outpatient setting that will affect many patients by avoiding a substantial number of antibiotic days.

Standardizing the initial resuscitation of the trauma patient with the Primary Assessment Completion Tool using video review.

BACKGROUND: Major trauma resuscitations at pediatric trauma centers have an elevated risk for error because of their high acuity and relatively low frequency. The Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) treatment paradigm was established to improve the management of trauma patients during the initial resuscitation phase and has been shown to improve outcomes through a standardized approach. The goal of this quality improvement project was to decrease assessment physician variability and improve the compliance with the ATLS primary assessment for major resuscitations. METHODS: A video review tool was developed to score the assessment physician on completion of the primary survey components using ATLS format. Interrater reliability and content validity were established for the tool. Data were collected through video review of the trauma response team in the emergency department for all Level 1 trauma alert activations with general consent. Chi-square and regression analyses were used to evaluate the data at 30 days, 6 months, and 1 year from the baseline period. RESULTS: A total of 142 patient videos were scored between July 28, 2015, and August 1, 2016. Eleven patients were reviewed during the baseline period, and only 9.1% of the total scores were ≥85. Thirty days following project implementation, 37.5% were ≥ 85. Six months following project implementation, 64.4% scored ≥85. One year following project implementation, 91.5% scored ≥85. These were statistically significant changes (p < .0001) with less variability over time. CONCLUSION: Effective leadership using a standardized approach during the trauma resuscitation has been found to have a positive effect on task completion and the overall functioning of the trauma team. This focused quality improvement project improved compliance with ATLS format and decreased variability by the assessment physician, potentially improving patient safety and outcomes. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic/care management study, level IV.

Bringing home the right to food in Canada: challenges and possibilities for achieving food security.

We offer a critique of Canada's approach to domestic food security with respect to international agreements, justiciability and case law, the breakdown of the public safety net, the institutionalisation of charitable approaches to food insecurity, and the need for 'joined-up' food and nutrition policies. We examined Canada's commitments to the right to food, as well as Canadian policies, case law and social trends, in order to assess Canada's performance with respect to the human right to food. We found that while Canada has been a leader in signing international human rights agreements, including those relating to the right to food, domestic action has lagged and food insecurity increased. We provide recommendations for policy changes that could deal with complex issues of state accountability, social safety nets and vulnerable populations, and joined-up policy frameworks that could help realise the right to adequate food in Canada and other developed nations.