Our Shared Purpose newsletter October 2019

OUR SHARED PURPOSE October 2019

Learning never stops St. Joe’s first-ever de Souza Nurse Associate (pg. 2)

Colour Days inspiring joy A new program at Providence uniting staff and residents.(pg. 7)

Making infection protection fun

What takes to - and chocolate How theitIPAC Olympics pudding - put a new innovate (pg.

4)twist on infection prevention learning. (pg. 4)

How resusTO is proudly different Another successful year for the St. Michael’s event (pg. 8)

Behind the scenes with Tim A look at the Hallway Talks video series (pg. 3)

BEHIND THE SCENES

Mark Kocsis is St. Joe’s firstever de Souza Nurse Associate

Hallway Talks with Tim

Education program empowers clinicians

released in late October, takes a look at

MEETING RESIDENTS

working in cancer and palliative care

what makes our Houses such a special

Dr. Rutledge met residents in Juniper and Sumac Houses as they gathered together for activation programming.

by Emily Dawson

Last month, Dr. Tim Rutledge, CEO of Unity Health Toronto, was in the Cardinal Ambrozic Houses of Providence to film a new episode in the ‘Hallway Talks with Tim’ video series. The video, which will be

long-term care home.

STORY BY EMILY DAWSON PHOTOS BY K ATIE COOPER

The last few years in Mark Kocsis’ life have been busy, to say the

Ontario – to obtain the de Souza Nurse Associate Designation.

least. Kocsis graduated from Ryerson University’s nursing program in

June 2017, and by November of that year, had begun his career on the

courses have equipped me with the knowledge to provide more

Medicine, Oncology and Palliative Care (6M) unit at St. Joseph’s Health

competent and confident care,” said Kocsis.

Centre. All the while, Kocsis was fueling his desire to improve how he

his professional development goals.

“I had a student placement in a hospice, which

was my first exposure to end-of-life care. I discovered I really like nursing in palliative and oncology. I like being present with patients and families and focusing on psychosocial aspects of nursing,” said Kocsis.

His drive to develop his skills in end-of-life

care led him to the de Souza Institute continuing education program.

“

Kocsis’ colleagues and supervisors rave about Kocsis and see a

The de Souza courses have equipped me with the knowledge to provide more competent and confident care

“

cares for patients and taking the initiative to support

“I’ve always been a go-getter and life-long learner. The de Souza

MARK KOCSIS

DE SOUZA NURSE ASSOCIATE

The de Souza Institute, headquartered at

bright future for him at St. Joseph’s.

The members of the 6M team describe Kocsis as someone who is inquisitive, empathetic and thoughtful, continually seeking out what is best for

MEETING THE TEAM

the patient experience. They especially appreciate the

Dr. Rutledge stopped by several Houses to say hello to staff to thank them for their dedication to creating a better resident experience in their day-to-day work.

time he makes to sit with patients and learn about their journey and how he takes a holistic approach to care.

At a recent celebration to honour Kocsis’ achievements, his colleague Paula Larrondo, a social worker in the Medicine and Seniors Care program,

University Health Network, offers courses that empower clinicians

spoke about watching Kocsis care for her father at St. Joseph’s.

to handle every situation in cancer and palliative care. This includes

“When my dad was in palliative care here, I had to step back and just

managing pain and symptoms as well as providing emotional support

be present as a daughter, as a family member. It gave me a chance to

to allay people’s anxiety and fear.

watch Mark in action from a different vantage point.

To date, more than 10,000 health-care professionals from across

“I was so impressed with his nursing skills and his ability to

Canada have enrolled in de Souza courses. In 2019, Kocsis became

connect with my family. He’s really intuitive. He’s an absolute gem,”

the first nurse from St. Joseph’s – and one of only 45 nurses in all of

said Larrondo.

Our Shared Purpose is a monthly newsletter highlighting our people and the ways they are improving care, patient experience and the health of our communities.

Learn more: www.unityhealth.to

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OUR SHARED PURPOSE

SMILES ALL AROUND The video showcases how our programs, like musical entertainment, are essential in building a sense of community for residents OUR SHARED PURPOSE

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Making infection protection fun Pudding and powder help staff learn about hand hygiene and containing the spread of germs

by Amber Daugherty

Dianagris and Elrica recently went through an education session called the IPAC Olympics to get a hands-on understanding of how bacteria can be transmitted on inpatient units.

(Photo: Amber Daugherty)

It’s not every day that Dianagris Balakrishnan finds herself covered

especially dangerous for patients with a weakened immune system and

UV light — sprinkled on top. They rubbed their hands together to mimic

from staff on 4M, so much so that other units have requested a shot at

in pudding at work. But one day this summer, she had so much of it

during high volume times – like flu season.

the friction of providing care and then had to remove the gloves without

playing the games, which also included one related to cleaning shared

on her personal protective equipment (PPE) gown and gloves that it

contaminating themselves. Thomas then used a UV light to see if any

equipment and another that tracked bacteria growth in microlab plates

was dripping onto the floor. The pudding had been spread by Cameron

to the hospital’s 4M unit to help engage staff and visually show the

Glo Germ remained.

before and after practicing hand hygiene. The infection prevention team

Thomas, an infection prevention practitioner, as part of an education

significance of proper infection prevention practices.

is exploring ways to continue this work to engage all staff members who

session at St. Joseph’s Health Centre called the IPAC Olympics.

said Vina Magno, a registered nurse on the unit. “It’s so scary because

interact with patients in a way that will hopefully stay with them.

Balakrishnan’s task was to remove the gown and gloves without getting

and over again but the message gets lost because it’s always the same

normally we can’t see what’s there.”

any pudding on her skin or clothes underneath.

– clean your hands, clean shared equipment,” said Rosalyn Espiritu, the

you’re supposed to clean your hands but not really the why,” said

“It was gross,” the registered practical nurse said, laughing. “But it

unit’s educator. “I heard that other hospitals had tried this interactive

because of defects in the gloves.

Thomas.

was a good reminder that there’s a lot of other stuff we could have on

way of providing education and thought it would be impactful here

us when we leave a patient’s room.”

because it’s new and exciting. People came over curious about why

that’s why they don’t need to be as good about hand hygiene when

touching next, it makes a lot more sense why you should stop and make

there was pudding on the table.”

wearing them,” said Thomas. “Staff were surprised to see powder on

sure your hands are clean. Maybe next time someone on 4M is taking

all types of bacteria by nurses and other health care providers. Walking

A common issue in health care is that people use gloves for

their hands and the reality is that Glo Germ powder is still bigger than

their PPE off, they’ll think about the pudding and be aware that just

in and out of different patients’ spaces means providers may be taking

extended periods of time, often instead of regular hand hygiene. So in

microorganisms that could get through, which is why it’s so important

because they can’t see something that could potentially be harmful, it

more than they’d like when they leave, potentially spreading something

another game, staff members put gloves on and had Glo Germ powder

that gloves be used in addition to really good hand hygiene.”

doesn’t mean it’s not there.”

to other areas of the unit, other patients or themselves. This can be

— a visual tool used in cleaning education which shows up only under

4

The game was meant to mimic the potential for transmission of

OUR SHARED PURPOSE

The PPE and pudding game was just one of four that was brought

“Working in health care means you get the same information over

“When I took the gloves off, I could still see some spots on my arms,”

Many staff members also had Glo Germ on their fingers and hands “People have a mistaken idea that gloves are impermeable and

“A lot of the time, we talk in health care about the moments when

“But when you think about what you touched last and what you’re

Feedback on the IPAC Olympics was overwhelmingly positive OUR SHARED PURPOSE

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OPIOID PRESCRIPTIONS FILLED: HOW DOES CANADA COMPARE? Patients in Canada and the U.S. who underwent one of four low-risk surgical procedures filled opioid prescriptions within a week after discharge at a rate that was nearly seven times higher than patients in Sweden, suggests a new study.

The research found that 76 per cent of the U.S. patients and nearly 79 per cent of the Canadian patients filled a prescription for opioids after their surgery versus just 11 per cent of Swedish patients.

“Opioids are routinely prescribed for postoperative pain management in many countries; however, the findings suggest the potential to re-evaluate prescribing practices internationally,” says Dr. Karim Ladha, a scientist at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute.

New study’s findings point to the differences in preference and culture of patients and providers says Dr. Karim Ladha, scientist at LKSKI. (Photo by Katie Cooper)

DIABETES MEDICATION SHOWS POTENTIAL TO REDUCE HEART DISEASE Research from St. Michael’s has shed light on how a class of medications that help regulate blood sugar for patients with Type 2 diabetes can also protect against heart disease.

The findings focus on the effect of a diabetes medication – empagliflozin – on cell repair in blood vessels and resulting risks of heart disease. This medication falls under a category of drugs called SGLT2 inhibitors. The research suggests it regulates circulating cells that play a role in heart health.

“Clinical trials have shown that SGLT2 inhibitors may protect patients who have diabetes from heart disease,” says Dr. Subodh Verma, scientist at the Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science. “Before our study, it wasn’t clear why.”

A multidisciplinary team at St. Michael’s, led by Dr. Subodh Verma, collaborated with Western University’s Robarts Research Institute on this work.

(Photo by Medical Media)

SHARING MEDICAL IMAGING DATA FIRST PROTOCOL DEVELOPED TO TO CUT RADIATION DOSES MANAGE MASSIVE HEMORRHAGE Patients might expect radiation doses for CT scans to be comparable frominone hospital the next, but a team at A study published CMAJ Open to outlines the design of Ontario’s first St. Michael’s Hospital says the dose variance can be startling.

Massive Hemorrhage Protocol (MHP), a set of recommendations The team isthat collecting andrapid analyzing data fromdelivery eight hospitals for hospitals will enable and coordinated of blood for the Medical Imaging Metadata Repository of Ontario (MIMRO) products in a patient who is hemorrhaging. to thehasn’t province’s average radiation dose scan. help Untilreduce now, there been one standard protocol for allper hospitals Using artificial intelligence to sort the hospitals’ data, the team to follow when treating massively bleeding patients, said Dr. Jeannie generated data by facility, scanner andat exam to help Callum, leadcomparative author and transfusion medicine specialist Sunnybrook determine best practices.

MIMRO is funded primarily by Health Sciences Centre.

St. and was created by two of its radiologists, Michael’s Co-lead author and transfusion medicine physician at Drs. Timothy Dowdell and Bruce Gray.

St. Michael’s, Dr. Katerina Pavenski, said this new work will bring together the right care team to the right withLianne the right resources.

Radiologist Dr. Bruce Gray and patient data analyst Concepcion review data submitted to MIMRO. (Photo: Katie Cooper)

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OUR SHARED PURPOSE

Resident Assistant inspires joy through ‘Colour Days’ “It makes me very emotional, to think that we can touch people in this way.”

by Emily Dawson

The Sumac and Juniper House staff are all smiles as they enthusiastically embrace Colour Days.

“I wanted to do something for the residents, and also something that could bring the staff together as a big team with laughter and fun,” says Coleman.

Charmaine Coleman loves working with residents in Sumac House

in the Cardinal Ambrozic Houses of Providence. From their morning

something in their closet that has even a hint of the right shade.

smiles, to the stories and hugs they freely offer, working in one of the

Houses’ two dementia units brings her joy and satisfaction. Over the

possible options and encourage residents to make their own decisions

years, she has dreamed of building something special to reciprocate

on what to wear.

those feelings.

in our matching colours,” says Coleman. “It’s amazing how a little thing

Coleman is a Resident Assistant (RA) who has worked in the

The RAs will dress residents in that day’s colours if they have For residents who are more communicative, RAs show them

“We get residents energized and smiling by dancing and singing

Houses of Providence for 16 years, with seven of them in Sumac

can get people so excited.”

House. At a recent conference, she learned how colour has a positive

effect on residents living with dementia. Bright colours can invite

caregivers, and volunteers are also getting into the spirit, as are staff

connection, instil a sense of welcoming, and promote happiness.

from other units.

In June, Coleman introduced the idea of Colour Days for Juniper

Coleman is equally pleased that family members, personal

“It makes me very emotional, to think that we can touch people

and Sumac Houses. People living, working and visiting in the units are

in this way. I’m privileged that after 16 years I was able to finally create

encouraged to dress in the designated colour of the day, six days a

something special for my Houses family.”

week.

OUR SHARED PURPOSE

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resusTO: Not your typical medical conference “There is a true commitment to medical education and medical innovation at St. Michael’s”

by Jennifer Stranges

The follow up to last year’s highly successful inaugural event brought in participants from around the world. (Photo: Yuri Markarov)

It’s clear that resusTO — a hybrid simulation-resuscitation

committee feel gratified by the success and feedback they’ve received

conference organized in partnership with St. Michael’s Hospital

so far, which they credit to the teamwork of St. Michael’s staff.

— is different.

From branding inspired by a prolific southern California rapper, to

this, it really does,” she said. McGowan acknowledges the contributions

a program that included an escape room simulating being inside an air

of Emma O’Neil, Andrea Meeson, the Emergency Department and the

ambulance, this year’s resusTO was boldly rejecting the conventions

team at the Allan Waters Family Simulation Centre – which is accredited

of medical education conferences.

by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

“ResusTO is different from other conferences in that it’s very

“They say it takes a village, and to execute an innovative event like

The event was also made possible by staff from environmental

interactive,” said Dr. Christopher Hicks, an emergency physician and

services, AV, catering, medical media, clinical equipment, procurement,

trauma team leader at St. Michael’s and chair of the conference. Dr.

telecommunications, print shop, planning, and respiratory therapy and

Hicks and Melissa McGowan, the research education co-ordinator for

finally all the volunteers – many of whom took vacation from their day-

the St. Michael’s emergency department, collaboratively organized the

to-day job at St. Michael’s to help make it a success.

conference, which took place on Sept. 10 and 11.

“Our plenary lectures delivered by the faculty are followed by

inspiring them to think beyond their current practice, said Dr. Hicks.

some sort of hands-on workshop. It gives participants an opportunity

He believes the conference engages the medical community in a

to practice what they’ve learned so that it has more permanence

novel way, which would not be possible without support from hospital

carrying forward into their practice,” Dr. Hicks said.

leadership.

Participants from around the world travelled to Toronto for

this year’s conference, the follow up to last year’s highly successful inaugural event. Dr. Hicks, McGowan and the entire organizing 8

OUR SHARED PURPOSE

At its core, resusTO is about challenging health care providers and

“There is a true commitment to medical education and medical

innovation at St. Michael’s.”