Learning What is Important: A Quality Improvement Initiative to Enhance Patient-Centred Care in Home Care

Abstract

Aim: A quality improvement initiative was undertaken to increase the utilization of a new tool designed to facilitate the provision of patient-centred care in the homecare setting. Methods: The tool, entitled Life Through My Eyes (LTME), is completed voluntarily by the patient or a family member. In order to personalize the patient’s care, it captures information about what is important to the patient and ways to make the patient feel comfortable. Patients and families played an integral role in the Plan, Do, Study, Act cycle used to introduce the tool into practice. Results: Patients and family members (n = 19) and personnel (n = 7) offered feedback that directed revisions to the tool’s format, and additional strategies were implemented to increase personnel’s familiarity with the tool. Conclusion: Improvements in the format and in the implementation process for the LTME tool were identified through a QI initiative, and the revised tool has now been distributed broadly.

Keywords:

• Quality improvement
• home care services
• communication

Acknowledgements

Members of the LTME Quality Team sincerely thank the patients, their families, and personnel who shared their feedback.

Disclosure Statement

Patricia Miller received payment as a consultant from CBI regarding the implementation of this quality improvement initiative and for assistance in the preparation of material for presentation and this manuscript. Caroline Gill, Kathy Mazza, Célynne Pilon, and Melissa Hill were employees of CBI Health at the time of the quality improvement initiative. Caroline Gill and Kathy Mazza received funds reimbursing them for attending a professional conference to present this material in part.