The Emergency Department (ED) Return Visit Quality Program introduced a provincial-wide audit and feedback program to EDs in 2016. Using return visits leading to an admission as a flag to identify potential improvement opportunities, 86 EDs participated in the program. They are fostering a culture of quality by creating non-punitive environments to reflect on their practice and work collaboratively to improve quality of care for their patients.
The delivery of the program is similarly collaborative in its approach. Many organizations and individuals participated, including the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, Access to Care (Cancer Care Ontario), Ontario Hospital Association, Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, ED physician leaders in Ontario, and Health Quality Ontario.
Click here to read Drs. Howard Ovens and Joshua Tepper share their thoughts on the program (and here for the French version). We'd love to hear what you think of the program, and how the results of the first year might spur further improvement at your organization!