Improving Care With a Multidisciplinary Approach Case Studies

Mackenzie Health was named a 2019 HIMSS Davies Enterprise Award recipient for leveraging the value of health information and technology to improve outcomes. The three case studies submitted cover improving the treatment of strokes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and hospital acquired infections. 

Case Studies

1. Implementing COPD Clinical Pathways

Mackenzie Health’s multidisciplinary team embedded an evidence-informed COPD clinical pathway within its electronic medical record to manage inpatient care. Adherence to the clinical pathway was attributed to embedding the workflow within electronic tools customized by the clinical team. Clinical uptake of this pathway resulted in significant improvement to patient outcomes, including improved time to weaning off of oxygen and the initiation of appropriate treatment such as steroids and antibiotics.

2. Improving Hospital Acquired Clostridium Difficile Infection Care

Mackenzie Health’s Antimicrobial Stewardship Program (ASP) and Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) teams collaborated to use electronic medical record tools to optimize workflows, track compliance and monitor patient outcomes. These approaches resulted in decreased antibiotic usage, reduction in time to identify affected patients, initiated precaution protocols and improved compliance to environmental cleaning standards.

3. Reducing Door-to-Needle Time to Treat Ischemic Strokes

Mackenzie Health’s multidisciplinary clinical team reviewed the protocols embedded in its electronic medical record related to the care of patients presenting to the Emergency Department with a diagnosis of Ischemic Stroke. A review of the electronic workflows allowed the team to identify diagnostic and treatment delays. This review allowed the team to introduce the use of a stroke narrator and evidence-informed order sets in the electronic medical record, resulting in a 50 per cent reduction in the time it took to administer life-saving medication (door-to-needle (DTN) time) to affected patients.