people - Trillium Health Centre Foundation

More time for care: Diane Miles, RN; Sara Ste-Croix, RN, with patient Douglas HancherFunding equipmentfor quality care“They were always therewhen I needed them.”A priority for theFoundation is to put theright tools in the handsof Trillium’s healthcare professionals toimprove the patientexperience. With thecommunity’s generosity,Trillium has purchasedcare-enhancingequipment, such aselectronic whiteboardsand touch screens, togive staff access to vitalinformation instantly.Wireless nurse calldevices, which connectpatients directly totheir nurses, improveresponse times, reducepatient stress andeliminate disruptiveoverhead pages.Douglas Hancher had never stayedovernight in a hospital in his life and wasnot looking forward to it when he wentin for knee replacement surgery. Thatchanged when he arrived at the newinpatient wing at Trillium Health Centre.“It was beautiful,” Douglas says. “Nicebright colours. Spacious. Lots of light.Nobody likes to go into hospital, but thisfelt like a home away from home.”The new wing is more than just a prettyplace; it is the result of one of severalevidence-based initiatives at Trilliumdesigned to bring nurses closer to theirpatients and to increase the amountof time that caregivers spend at theirpatients’ bedsides. Research shows thatthe new wing design has increaseddirect patient-care time, reduced nursecall response time and improved patientsatisfaction scores significantly.Another initiative that is increasing stafftime at the bedside is called ReleasingTime to Care. Nurse Diane Miles explains,“Releasing Time to Care empowers usto look at our practices and implementchanges to improve our efficiency.”Small changes have made a big difference.“Because of the program,” Diane says, “Ican spend more time with my patients. I cansit and listen to their needs, both physicaland emotional. I can hold their hands. Itmakes them feel happier and safer. And Ilook forward to going to work.”Douglas has also noticed the impact.“During my stay, the nurses and the staffwere wonderful,” he recalls. “If I hadquestions, they took as much time as wasneeded to answer. And because there wasa nurses’ station right outside my door,they were quick to respond and alwaysthere when I needed them.”In 2011/12, another program calledCollaborative Care by Design will further addto the time staff can spend at their patients’bedsides through an interprofessional teamapproach to patient care.8trilliumhealthcentre.org/communityreport