Team members on the inpatient Stroke unit review brochures for patients and families. Improving access to educational materials is one of the projects that the team will highlight when surveyors from Accreditation Canada visit in September.
Bridgepoint’s inpatient and ambulatory care Stroke Program teams have officially kicked off the countdown to Stroke Distinction 2019, in nine weeks. Stroke Distinction is a designation awarded by Accreditation Canada to health care organizations that demonstrate excellence and innovation in stroke care. The teams continue to evolve their practices based on the stroke practice guidelines in combination with the unique needs and goals of patients and caregivers.
Bridgepoint achieved Stroke Distinction designation in 2013 and 2015 and is now undergoing the accreditation process again with a site visit from Accreditation Canada scheduled for September. “Achieving the Stroke Distinction designation provides formal recognition of Bridgepoint’s dedication and expertise in stroke rehabilitation care,” says Jackie Eli, Senior Director of Rehabilitation and Ambulatory Care. “This process helps guide program goals and efforts to continuously improve the quality of care provided and demonstrates Bridgepoint’s commitment to excellence.”
Over the last two weeks, the teams attended kick-off information sessions giving them the opportunity to look back at results from the previous years and review the current guidelines and standards of practice that they will be evaluated on during the on-site visit.
A project that will be highlighted during Stroke Distinction 2019 is the Stroke Team wall that provides patients and families with descriptions of the roles of the different members of the care team on the inpatient unit, including nurses, physiotherapists and speech-language pathologists.
Participants also learned about innovative projects where members of the stroke teams are going above and beyond current best practice guidelines to investigate, evaluate and co-design new ways of improving the care experience and outcomes for patients and their caregivers.
In 2013, Bridgepoint was the second rehabilitation hospital and one of four hospitals in Ontario to achieve Stroke Distinction, making Bridgepoint a leader in stroke rehabilitation care. Stay tuned for more on the innovative projects the Stroke teams are working on in the lead up to our Stroke Distinction 2019 site visit.