An Innovative Healthcare Project is Coming to Hospitals in Halton

Published August 20, 2019 at 8:06 pm

William Osler Health System is introducing a healthcare project to many regions across Ontario.

William Osler Health System is introducing a healthcare project to many regions across Ontario.

William Osler Health System’s Prevention of Error-Based Transfers (PoET) project will be expanding to long-term care facilities in the Mississagua-Halton and Hamilton-Niagara regions.

Health Canada’s Health Care Policy Contribution Program has invested $1.5 million to help fund the PoET Southwest Spread Project – a joint venture with McMaster University’s Department of Family Medicine – that will see PoET expanded to the regions’ Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs) over three years.

PoET aims to prevent unnecessary or unwanted transitions between long-term care homes and hospitals.

During PoET’s operation, there has been a 59 per cent reduction in repeated end-of-life transitions for long-term care residents between care settings in the Central West LHIN. 

“PoET promotes high-quality end-of-life care, reduces unwanted and non-beneficial transfers to emergency departments, and brings residents’ voices to the forefront of decision-making,” said William Osler Health System’s Chief Nursing Executive and Associate Vice President, Quality Tiziana Rivera. 

The project was co-designed by Osler’s Health Care Ethicist Dr. Jill Oliver and Clinical and Corporate Ethics Director Dr. Paula Chidwick who worked in partnership with local long-term care homes to ensure the initiative met the needs of patients.

“PoET grew from our belief that an upstream approach to preventing consent-related errors could benefit long-term care residents,” said Dr. Chidwick. “We found that understanding what is important to residents can lead to fewer errors and fewer transfers for unwanted and unnecessary treatment.”    

The PoET South West Spread Project will also include an evaluation led by McMaster University’s Department of Family Medicine. It is anticipated that the program will save $100 million for the broader healthcare system if implemented.

“We all deserve to live out our lives in comfort and dignity, with the care that is appropriate to our wishes and values. I am pleased to support this innovative project that will help improve end-of-life care in Ontario,” said Federal Minister of Health Ginette Petitpas Taylor.

What do you think of the expansion of this project?

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