In response to some 350 recommendations issued by 80 professional associations representing various clinical specialties in Canada, the Choosing with Care campaign was launched nationwide in 2012. These lists of recommendations dealt with examinations and treatments commonly used in each specialty without being supported by evidence of their necessity. The conclusions were without appeal. It was high time to tackle this situation, which exposes patients to the risk of major harm.
Choosing with care is also a campaign about dialogue - between patients and caregivers, but also between professionals in both primary and hospital care. As important as it is to raise awareness among healthcare professionals, it is equally important to do the same with patients.
Four years after committing to this initiative with many positive results, Hôpital Montfort achieved Level 1 designation in 2019, marking the beginning of the Choosing with Care culture at Montfort.
“We had some great examples at the very beginning of the Choisir avec soin Montfort core cell with the inclusion of a patient-partner. To her great surprise, she learned that certain tests and procedures, such as urinary catheters, were not always indicated, and said to herself that before knowing this, she would never have dared question an intervention by a doctor or nurse,” says Sébastien Landry, representative of the Choisir avec soin initiative.
Today, Hôpital Montfort holds the Level 2 designation, as well as the Transfuse with Care distinction, thanks to the hard work of these healthcare professionals who work tirelessly to offer the best health care to the community it serves.
For Sébastien Landry, the inclusion of Choosing with Care in the annual strategy priorities for 2022-23 demonstrates that this initiative continues to be a cornerstone of quality improvement efforts and organizational strategy. “Our journey to the final level, Level 3, which has just recently been renamed Leadership Level, will see our teams pursue 2 further campaigns, namely: Reflective Telemetry and Survey Before You Ask. In addition, we will continue to mentor other hospitals in the region and in the French-speaking world. The challenge for the future will be to maintain and improve what we've already achieved,” he confides.
Indeed, even if the condition of patients is at the heart of this initiative, it should also be noted that the situation at its origin is not without affecting other resources such as healthcare personnel. This is why Montfort has opted for a rather special approach. According to Sébastien Landry, “In our approach to Choosing with Care at Montfort, the scope of initiatives plays a major role. First and foremost our patients, but we're paying particular attention now to the staff aspect especially with a view to reducing tasks.”
Since 2015, six campaigns have helped Montfort climb the ladder to reach this important milestone in this new era of medicine. In addition to fostering dialogue between doctors and patients about testing, the Choosing with Care Canada designation program frames quality improvement initiatives and allows hospitals to benefit from each other's successes.
To learn more about this original and essential initiative, we invite you to visit the Choisir avec soin counter at Portail Montfort.