Neuronavigation - 1 of 5 MUHC Leading Practices Recognized by Accreditation Canada

Montreal, November 9, 2010 – The MUHC is proud to announce the successful conclusion of Accreditation Canada’s 2010 assessment. The MUHC scored highly across the board, gaining conditional approval with an overall evaluation of 91.5%. Additionally, the MUHC is proud to announce that Accreditation Canada recognized five programs as Leading Practices, making this one of the best accreditation results in recent years.

“The MUHC is proud to conceive and implement programmes and procedures that are redefining the quality of patient care, safety and accessibility for the future, as well as that of healthcare governance and environmental stewardship,” notes the Hon. Arthur T. Porter, MUHC Director General and CEO. “We thank Accreditation Canada for recognizing some of our leading practices and commend it for providing easy access to the information so organizations throughout Canada can learn from each other and have significant impact on the quality of life of their communities.”

The five Leading Practices at the MUHC recognized by Accreditation Canada in the 2010 accreditation are:

o Neurosurgical Navigation Program – Established about 10 years ago in the Department of Neurosurgery, the unit’s main objective is to make operations more precise, less invasive and help patients and their families understand surgical procedures.  The team, comprised of technicians Manny Podaras and Richard Barecki and bio-medical engineer Kelvin Mok, collaborates with neurosurgeons in planning all cranial procedures.  By reconstructing the head, brain, blood vessels and lesions in 3-dimensions and using a stereotactic pointer, all phases of the surgery can be reviewed by the surgical team before the start of and during the actual operation.  The members of the neuronavigation unit also work closely with researchers in the McConnell Brain Imaging Centre to continuously improve image guided surgery.

o Tracheostomy team – Established at the Montreal General Hospital and then expanded to The Neuro and Royal Victoria Hospital, this team brings a coordinated approach to tracheostomy care. The programme has improved communication between professionals and increased efficiency of care, as well as improved patient comfort and decreased complications that might cause their return to the Intensive Care Unit. Two research studies conducted at the MUHC have verified these positive results.
o Clinical Triage Process at the Montreal Chest Institute (MCI) – In order to streamline care and improve patient safety, the MCI team conducted a thorough review of emergency visits by patients suffering from asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Their findings helped more clearly define the needs of patients through the establishment of priority levels, linked to specific timely actions, such as investigative tests, treatments, discharge plans or transfers. The protocol has resulted in a marked improvement in patient flow efficiency and reduced wait times for patients.
o Intensive Ambulatory Care Service / Clinical Investigation Unit (CIU) – The mission of this multidisciplinary team at The Montreal Children’s Hospital is to provide safe, effective and family-centred care to children with complex medical needs in their home environment. For families, the most immediate benefit of the programme is the prompt return home of their loved ones. The discharge process frequently involves home visits to ensure the transition is smooth. The team provides day-treatment visits, and offers 24/7 on-call coverage, and works with schools, rehabilitation services and families to ensure that each child has access to important services as close to home as possible.
o Reduction of Residual Materials – The Construction, Renovation and Demolition Waste Disposal Policy and its associated programme led to the launch of two major renovation/demolition pilot projects that had an 84% waste diversion rate of residual materials, which exceeds the LEED® standard. These projects took place at the Montreal General Hospital and contributed to the institution being awarded Level 3 BOMA BESt certification in March 2009, a Pilier d’or in 2009 in Environment from the Association des Gestionnaires de Parcs Immobiliers Institutionnels (AGPI) and a position as one of the three finalists in the Management of Residual Materials category for the Phénix de l’environnement awards shepherded by the Government of Quebec.

Accreditation is an important step in ensuring the quality and safety of services offered by healthcare providers. As part of the on-site survey process, Accreditation Canada surveyors identify Leading Practices, which they consider to be commendable examples of high quality service. These practices are published by Accreditation Canada each year as models for other healthcare organizations to follow as they strive to improve their own services.