Driving Quality Care with Quality Improvement: Developing Quality Improvement in Saskatoon’s ICUs

Introduction: Intensive care units (ICUs) face significant challenges in standardizing patient care and monitoring outcomes for high-risk conditions. This project explored the need for a Quality Improvement (QI) program and a data-driven approach to enhance patient care and outcomes in Saskatoon ICUs.

Methods: A prospective QI methodology was utilized, employing a data collection tool built on RedCap. The data collection focused on key metrics, including patient acuity scores (APACHE II and SOFA), length of stay (LOS), and mortality rates. A driver diagram was developed to provide a clear strategic framework linking the project’s aims to actionable change ideas.

Results: This project demonstrates the need for a QI program in Saskatoon ICUs to standardize care, enhance data systems, and establish quality performance to facilitate benchmarking. The driver diagram provides a strategic plan, and early acuity, length of stay, and mortality data establish useful baselines. Collecting 600 chart reviews over 220 hours exposed inefficiencies and errors with manual data entry.

Conclusion: The project presents a compelling argument for implementing a comprehensive QI program in Saskatoon ICUs and promoting the adoption of EMR. It highlights the potential for using a systematic, data-driven approach to standardize care, reduce practice variation, and improve patient outcomes.