Variations in care received by Ontario residents, based on where they live or certain demographic factors, can indicate a lack of quality in a health care system.
The recent report prepared for Health Quality Ontario titled Quality Matters: Realizing Excellent Care for All acknowledges the existence of unwarranted variations in care and the negative impact they can have on patients. This was also a key theme in last year’s Measuring Up report from Health Quality Ontario which noted that, while Ontario was generally doing a good job of providing care to all who needed it, “unacceptable variation” still existed by geography and population groups.
To improve any health care system change must occur.
Change can be incremental or dramatic, but without it we cannot improve the quality of the health care system in Ontario or the health of those who live here. Individuals and teams who work within the health care system must feel empowered to make changes that can make a difference. So today we are asking you: what would you change?
Reflecting back to 2003, clinicians, patients and other stakeholders identified access to care as a major issue for some health services. Particular concern was expressed about wait times for surgical care for cataract surgery, joint replacement surgery, cancer surgery and cardiac surgery as well as for diagnostic imaging services including CT and MRI scans.
Ten years ago, I gave birth in hospital to my first child – a healthy, beautiful baby girl.
I still remember looking into her eyes for the first time and I still remember what it was like to be a patient. I remember wanting to provide feedback to someone about my experiences – both the good (great breastfeeding support) and the bad (being woken before dawn for a blood pressure check). But there was never any opportunity.
Quality Improvement (QI) is science, not magic, and should be taught with the frequency and rigour of any scientific discipline in healthcare. Teaching Quality Improvement is not a straightforward matter but must be done, and done right, if we want to see the healthcare system improve.