"The efficiency council was born from the perceived need to make our Emergency Department more efficient in the face of increasing patient visits and staffing challenges. We aimed to control the factors that we could and optimize the environment and patient experience."  – Dr. Scott Tancon, Council member

Working together for grassroots change

A team at Ridge Meadows Hospital has established an Efficiency Council that includes physicians, nurses and unit clerks. 

During the pandemic, many Emergency Departments (EDs) across the Fraser Health region set up white boards with change ideas, along with lists of needs and wishes to keep track of them. At Ridge Meadows Hospital, as the pandemic waned, everyone felt like part of the team and wanted to keep the momentum going.
 

The engagement: staff feedback followed by action

To get started, the council met with ward aides and housekeepers to compile a list of areas that they felt could be improved.

Some things were easily solved, while some required an entire renovation. Ideas were prioritized by the group and brought to the management team’s monthly quality improvement meetings.
 

Action & impact: space design changes to improve flow

The first project aimed to improve the flow of Zone 2 (subacute) and involved moving three to four admitted patient beds out of the zone, ordering new furniture and moving privacy curtains and signage.

Now completed, those changes have resulted in improved flow of patients, and clarity for staff, patients and families about where patients are in their Emergency Department journey.  
 

Improvements continue

The Efficiency Council continues to meet regularly and with ER nursing leaders to continue to "improve the flow of zone 2" with ongoing efforts. 

The department benefits from this advocacy work, and everyone feels some agency in their practice.
 

 Physician participation is funded by Facility Engagement.