Yesterday was the annual even for the University of
British Columbia’s Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine day to celebrate students staff and
faculty. It is a day of projects, presentations and recognition of jobs well
done by student, staff and faculty, and an opportunity of us old guys to come
back and celebrate with the collective, and a time to give back.
In my case it is the day that we recognize student
achievements for projects and presentations that highlight activities and
insights in Quality and Improvement. It’s
our (my family’s) way to support the
students who see what others can see but go that extra step to ensure that
their work is more meaningful because they focus on eliminating error and risk, and improving patient
care.
One example:
When people are admitted to hospital because of probable infection it is common place take cultures but also get patients started on broad spectrum antibiotics that provide best chance of success but increase the risk of developing complications including resistance. When the cultures are completed and they have identified both the infecting bacteria and the most effective antibiotic, the drugs get changed adjusted quickly, unless the results come out on the weekend. If the results are reported on a Monday to Friday, the drug change happens on the same day. But if they arrive on Saturday or Sunday, there is a delay and the change often on Monday. One student saw this, and put in the time to develop and organize an observational study, and then asked the important question “why?” (Bacteria Don’t Take Weekends Off).
Highlighting the questionable practice is the
first step to change, improvement and reduction of risk!
This year we handed out seven awards to well deserving
students that demonstrated a particular level of interest and excellence in
projects focused on Laboratory Quality and Improvement. Congratulations to all.
Making Healthcare Better
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