The Jewish General Hospital (JGH) has scored just a few points short of perfection in the official evaluation of its performance by Accreditation Canada. The JGH was unofficially granted accreditation “with commendation” in January, and that status has now been confirmed, along with a grade of 96.7 per cent. The score stems from a comprehensive and rigorous investigation of the JGH’s performance, measured against national standards of excellence.
The JGH was found to have complied with more than 96.5 per cent of the criteria that must be present for safety and proper quality of care, including accessibility, continuity of care and good workplace conditions. The hospital was also found to have complied with 34 of Accreditation Canada’s 35 required organizational practices in six key areas including the culture of safety, risk assessment, the use of medication, infection control, communication and work life.
“The Jewish General Hospital is truly defined by making the client the focal point of its daily activities,” says the report by Accreditation Canada, a not-for-profit, independent organization that assesses the quality of hospital services. “This focus on the client is evident in the implementation of all of the hospital’s projects, with constant attention to client safety and to the quality of services in the development of those projects.”
For the full range of quality criteria, perfect scores were recorded by the Emergency Department, the blood bank and transfusion services, the service that sterilizes and reprocesses reusable medical equipment, and planning services, as well as patient flow, resource management, and emergency and crisis preparedness. Even among the services that fell short of perfection, most scored higher than 90 per cent, with many coming in above 97 per cent.
“The accreditation exercise was important because it provided an objective validation of the high level of quality that the JGH has achieved,” said Dr. Hartley Stern, Executive Director. “When we talk about improving quality, we really mean it, and now we can confirm it.”
In addition, the surveyors highlighted the unwavering pride that JGH employees have in their institution; how the safety and security of its patients are of the utmost concern on every unit and department hospital wide; and how the hospital has managed to excel and pioneer in specialized services while maintaining the quality of its first line medical care.
Also pointed out was the JGH’s dedication to operating based on best practices hospital-wide; the preservation of its values as an institution despite being faced with a difficult economic climate; and its efforts to improve transparency as made evident by its public Quality Indicators web page.
“The results of this exercise were the culmination of years of hard work by all JGH staff members,” Dr. Stern said. “We have an extraordinary team at the JGH and this success is due to everyone’s collective efforts centered on improving outcomes and experiences for our patients and their families. All their hard work showcases the JGH’s determination to work within the team of Quebec healthcare institutions to strengthen the entire pubic healthcare system.”