Page 31 - Sharpening the Focus at UHN

PURPOSE, VALUES AND PRINCIPLES
CLINICAL OPTIMIZATION
CARING SAFELY
PATIENT EXPERIENCE
TEAM ENGAGEMENT
Apr/16 May/16 Jun/16 Jul/16 Aug/16 Sept/16 Oct/16 Nov/16 Dec/16 Jan/17 Feb/17 Mar/17 Apr/16 May/16 Jun/16 Jul/16 Aug/16 Sept/16 Oct/16 Nov/16 Dec/16 Jan/17 Feb/17 Mar/17
Living without lungs for six days saves Four days in a hospital hallway:

a mom’s life UHN taking action on overcapacity
PURPOSE, VALUES AND PRINCIPLES
IT TRANSFORMATION

In a bold and very challenging move, to make a decision because Melissa was going to die Imagine it’s your vacation and you Chris recently joined more than 80 UHN leaders and
arrive at your sunny destination only
thoracic surgeons at Toronto General that night. CLINICAL OPTIMIZATION team members across four hospital sites and many
RESEARCH AND INNOVATION
Hospital (TGH) removed severely “Melissa gave us the courage to go ahead.” to be told your room isn’t ready. disciplines – including nurses, physicians, professional
infected lungs from a dying mom, You sit in the lobby, watching the practice, supports services and more – for a rigorous
keeping her alive without them for six Melissa, then 32, was brought into TGH’s Medical clock, feeling discouraged as minutes two-day workshop.
days, so that she could recover enough to receive a life- Surgical Intensive Care Unit (MSICU) in early April turn into hours, then days, and the waiting area It was led by UHN’s Lean Process Improvement
CARING SAFELY
saving lung transplant. 2016, sedated and on a ventilator to help her laboured becomes increasingly over-crowded, noisy, chaotic, team to kick-off the development of an action plan to
MICHENER INTEGRATION
breathing. For the past three years, Melissa, who has
This is believed to be the first such procedure in cystic fibrosis, had been prescribed antibiotics to fight and you can’t find an employee who can tell you when ensure the right patient receives the right care in the
the world. off increasingly frequent chest infections. the waiting will end. right amount of time, especially when the hospital is

It was made possible by advanced life support A recent bout of influenza just before her hospital Now, imagine if rather than a tropical resort it was a in a state of overcapacity.
PATIENT EXPERIENCE
technology, a dedicated and diverse surgical, admission had left Melissa gasping for air, with hospital emergency department, and the waiting was “This work directly supports our focus on Caring
respirology, intensive care and perfusion team, as well coughing fits so harsh that she fractured her ribs. in a hallway and lasted four days. Safely and team engagement,” says Mike Nader, EVP
as the grit and gumption of the patient, Melissa Benoit, Her inflamed lungs began to fill with blood, pus and This was a reality back in 2008 for Chris Taylor, now and Chief Operating Officer, who along with Dr.
and her close-knit family. mucous, decreasing the amount of air entering her a UHN Patient Partner offering his unique insights in Charlie Chan, EVP and Chief Medical Officer, are
TEAM ENGAGEMENT
“This was bold and very challenging, but Melissa was lungs, similar to a person drowning. the development of UHN’s Overcapacity Protocol and spearheading efforts to optimize clinical operations at
dying before our eyes,” recalls Dr. Shaf Keshavjee, action plan. UHN and recognize that while changing practices and
Surgeon-in-Chief, Sprott Department of Surgery at Link to full story: click here. organizational culture is difficult, it’s also necessary
UHN, one of three thoracic surgeons who operated for sustainability.
Also Making News IT TRANSFORMATION Link to full story: click here.
together on Melissa to remove both her lungs. “We had

Also Making News

Overcoming obstacles RESEARCH AND INNOVATION
par for the course for
international students
Living history: nurse reflects on 50
Marking Black History years of service at TWH
Month at UHN MICHENER INTEGRATION
Princess Margaret Cancer Centre
Better blood profiles predict and Terry Fox RI part of innovative
diabetes more accurately project

Immune therapy scientists discover
Chris Taylor, a grateful patient who credits UHN for his
second chance at life, also feels an obligation to share the distinct cells that block cancer-
Melissa Benoit, who was kept alive without lungs for six days before a successful challenging experiences patients face within the Ontario fighting cells
transplant, plays with daughter Olivia, 2, before news conference detailing what’s healthcare system – and spark the conversations on how we
believed to be the world’s first such procedure. (Photo: UHN) can improve. (Photo: Courtesy Chris Taylor)

30 Sharpening the Focus at UHN Year in Review 2016 – 2017 31