Health Quality Ontario's First Quality Standards Released
Health Quality Ontario's new quality standards program aims to provide clear frameworks to improve care. Quality standards are a go-to resource for quality care. They are concise sets of easy-to-understand statements based on the best evidence. Quality standards will:
- Help patients, residents, families, and caregivers know what to ask for in their care (patient reference guides)
- Help health care professionals know what care to offer, based on evidence and expert consensus (clinical guides)
- Help health care organizations measure, assess, and improve the quality of care they provide
- Help ensure consistent, high quality care across the province so that all Ontarians receive the best possible care.
The initiative includes clinical and patient reference guides about each standard; information and data briefs demonstrating the need; implementation planning and quality improvement tools to support adoption; and indicators for clinicians and organizations to track their progress.
The first 3 quality standards are all of interest to OTs!
Implications for Occupational Therapists
HQO's Quality Standard initiative is intended to support health professionals and patients to achieve quality care. Occupational therapists will wish to review the resources HQO provides such as;
- Review Clinical Reference Guides for the evidence informed course of care that is directed by the standards and determine where OT practice can best support the standards to achieve outcomes for clients. Using the Standards, OTs may wish to advocate for and promote the contribution OT can make to the evidence informed course of care to the teams in which they work or to referral sources.
- Review the Patient Reference Guides and ensure that clients for whom they are relevant have access to this information.
- Monitor the HQO website for the developing implementation plans and resources to be published in January 2017. Being informed enables OTs to be leaders in change and proactive contributing members of the teams they participate on.
- Check out the data sections on each of the standard's webpages. This data tells the story of why change is needed to promote quality care and informs practice contextually.
- Sign up to receive HQO update emails (scroll to bottom of page) to monitor health quality standards that may affect your practice.