thequalitypost

Greetings from Cat, Saj, Ari and Jenica

Welcome to the 114th edition of The Quality Post! In this issue, we feature our FY21 True North Metrics and new opioid prescribing tools in APeX; offer an HBR tip on becoming a more patient leader; preview the dashboard for individual provider metrics; and share our True North Metric performance for FY21.

inthisissue

Announcing Our DHM True North Metrics

HBR Tip: Become a More Patient Leader

DHM Dashboard for Individual Provider Metrics

FY21 DHM True North Metric Performance

Announcing Our DHM True North Metrics

Thank you for voting for our DHM True North Metrics for this academic year. The top four metrics are:

Improving Video Mediated Interpretation for Limited English Proficiency (LEP) patients.
Improving Documentation and Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder
Improving Patient Experience During COVID-19 Pandemic
Improving Advanced Care Planning Documentation

Please reach out to Jenica if you are interested in leading any of the above change efforts. This will be a great opportunity to get hands-on experience with A3 thinking and PDSA cycles.

New Opioid Prescribing Tools in APeX

There are new tools in APeX that were designed by the Pain Committee to enable safer and more evidence-based pain medication prescribing.

There is a new pain order set that is embedded in the adult core admission order set and can also be found in the “Manage Orders” navigator by typing “pain med”. You may also refer to this document to learn more about multi-modal analgesia prescribing practices and the guiding principles that were used to design this order set.
There is also a new oral morphine equivalent (OME) flowsheet that summarizes OME for all administered opioids (except for neuraxial opioids) within a 24 hour period. This may be helpful to track trends in OME use over the hospitalization, and has been piloted on the Acute and Chronic Pain Service for several months before being launched to all provider groups. To access this information, you will need to wrench in the “Pain Monitoring with OME” flowsheet in the “Summary” tab by typing in “pain” in the search bar. The flowsheet includes other helpful information including descriptions and pain scores of the patient’s pain based on location and a summary of all analgesia administered.

Become a More Patient Leader

Leading effectively, especially during a crisis, takes patience. As a manager you need to retain composure in the face of frustration or uncertainty. So, how can you boost this important resource? One way is to recognize when your patience might be tested. If you know a challenge is coming, you can be more mindful about increasing your efforts to stay calm. For example, a good way to manage the pressure of a looming deadline is to reframe how you perceive time. Speed is important, of course, but working at a slow and smooth pace, especially when times get tough, reduces mistakes and, in the end, speeds up your team’s work. Another tactic is to practice gratitude frequently. Try keeping a journal of things that bring you joy — even when the world feels bleak. Or, simply take 10 minutes at the end of each day to reflect on your team’s achievements, no matter how small. Taking these opportunities to be thankful will help you be a more generous leader, less stressed, and more tolerant of unexpected or difficult situations.

This tip is adapted from “Becoming a More Patient Leader,” by David Sluss

Alcohol Use Documentation: Improve documentation of alcohol use using social determinants of health wheel and/or Social History flowsheet to 75% by June 2021 [Data forthcoming]