St Vincent Medical Center Partners With IHI To Improve Patient Outcomes

BRIDGEPORT — As part of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) 100,000 Lives Campaign, St Vincent’s has contributed to improving patient care by decreasing the number of avoidable deaths that occur in hospitals throughout the country. The goal of the campaign — to prevent 100,000 avoidable deaths in US hospitals in an 18-month period — was exceeded by 22,300 for a total of 122,300.

More importantly, this initiative has resulted in new standards of care that will continue to save lives and improve health outcomes in the future.

St Vincent’s implemented the following six quality improvement changes as part of the IHI Initiative:

éActivating a Rapid Response Team — St Vincent’s formed this team, which allows any staff member, regardless of position in the chain of command, to call upon a specialty team to examine a patient at the first sign of decline, in January 2005. The team, made up of a physician, critical care ICU nurse, and critical care ICU respiratory therapist, respond to approximately 25–35 calls a month. According to Kerry Eaton, vice president of patient outcomes, “The rapid response team has been overwhelmingly successful. We are able to get expertise to the bedside within five minutes, 24-hours-a-day, seven days-a-week.”

éDelivering Reliable Evidence-Based Care for Acute Myocardial Infarction — St Vincent’s scores for early administration of aspirin and beta-blockers, which help prevent further damage or patient deaths from heart attack, are currently in the top ten percent of Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) scores.

éPreventing Adverse Drug Events — By implementing medication reconciliation, St Vincent’s has reduced prescribing errors by requiring that a list of all of a patient’s medications (even for unrelated illnesses) be compiled and reconciled to ensure that the patient is given the right medications at the correct dosages — at admission, discharge, and before transferring a patient to another care unit.

éPreventing Central Line Infections — St Vincent’s has dramatically decreased the number of central line infections over the course of the past year. The medical center’s goal of less than 3.9 of every 1,000 patients days has been surpassed and in April of 2006 was at 1.2 of every 1,000 patient days.

éPreventing Surgical Site Infections — St Vincent’s surgical team has a process in place to deliver the correct antibiotics at the correct times, maintain patient’s glucose levels and body temperature, and avoid shaving hair at the surgical site.

éPreventing Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia — By implementing five interdependent, scientifically grounded steps collectively called the “Ventilator Bundle” — such as elevating the head of the hospital bed to between 30 and 45 degrees — St Vincent’s has VAP rates well below the national average for a hospital of comparable size and similar acuity.

St Vincent’s Medical Center is a 397-bed community teaching hospital. It is a member of AscensioHealth, the national health system formed by the Daughters of Charity and the Sisters of St Joseph, and the nation’s largest Catholic health care system.