BURNABY – The success of an innovative, team-based approach to hospital care is being expanded in
hospitals across the Lower Mainland as a way to improve patient flow and maximize the use of
inpatient beds, ultimately resulting in more effective patient care, said Health Services Minister George
Abbott today.
“The results from an initial round of targeted iCare projects piloted over the last couple of
years have been really encouraging in improving both the patient experience and in supporting more
co-ordinated care,” said Abbott. “Projects like iCare can help increase capacity by reducing patient
length of stay by an average of 10 per cent.”
iCare is a new care-planning approach that focuses on the patient and streamlining their
hospital journey. It works by combining the best clinical care planning practices and key lessons
learned from 100 years of industrial engineering by the world’s leading organizations, and applying
them to patients and a health-care setting.
Results from earlier iCare projects include a 19 per cent reduction in average length of stay in
applicable units at Burnaby Hospital, an almost 10 per cent reduction at Chilliwack General Hospital,
with the potential for future gains, a 16 per cent reduction at Lions Gate Hospital and a 10 per cent
reduction at Powell River Hospital.
“This has made a huge, positive impact in many ways in our hospital. We don’t have as many
admitted inpatients in emergency as we did before iCare was implemented at the hospital,” said Bill
Campbell, director of acute care at Fraser Health’s Chilliwack General Hospital.
iCare, or integrated care, is a term given to a redesign of traditional hospital processes. All
patients have a comprehensive care plan that is updated every day, and follows them through their
hospital stay. Teams of interdisciplinary care providers – from the specialist surgeon, to
physiotherapist, to the discharge nurse – all collaborate, to work towards the best outcome for each
patient. Patients benefit from improved team communications, efficient decision-making, reduced
congestion, and timely discharge.
One of the major strategies moving forward will be to increase engagement and the
effectiveness of daily rounds by integrated teams of health professionals to improve communication
and resolve any system barriers that may prolong patients’ hospital stay.
The Province has provided over $1.2 million to expand Fraser Health’s iCare program, as part
of its three-year, $300-million Transformation Fund, to help drive change and progress in B.C.’s health
care system. Phase 2 will revisit current iCare programs to assess and support teams, and further
improve their effectiveness and address any barriers to flow. It will also expand iCare to all neonatal
intensive care units (NICU) and mental health inpatient units throughout their facilities.
“I’m thrilled we have expanded iCare into the NICU. Here at Surrey Memorial in the neonatal
intensive care unit, babies are leaving on average 15 per cent sooner thanks to iCare. That means that
not only are families getting to bring their babies home sooner, but there are more beds available for
other infants who need care,” said Jan Radford, director of the neonatal intensive care unit at Surrey
Memorial Hospital.
VCH has also received Transformation funding to further develop its own iCare programs.
VCH has received $484,000 to implement three programs across the region, at Providence Health
Care, Richmond Hospital and across the Coastal Health Service Delivery Area.
“Programs like these are crucial to the sustainability of our system,” said Mary Ackenhusen,
chief operating officer, Coastal, at VCH. “They help us make real progress on issues that affect our
patients every day, like the amount of time they must wait in the ER and the number of days they need
to spend in acute care. This has been accomplished with a reduced re-admission rate, so we know
patients are receiving the care they need.”
As the province’s population grows and ages, advances and changes are needed to ensure the
complex health-care needs of all British Columbians are met. With the Transformation Fund,
government has committed to searching out and implementing innovative ways to improve and
streamline B.C.’s system, to best serve the needs of all patients, now and into the future.
For media inquiries, please contact: Bernadette Murphy, Media Relations Manager, Ministry of Health Service | 250-952-1887 (media line) |250-213-9590 (cell)
Gavin Wilson, Regional Director, Public Affairs, Vancouver Coastal Health | 604-708-5312
Fraser Health Media Pager | 604-450-7881
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www.gov.bc.ca.