News Releases - 2004

January 13, 2004

West Park Healthcare Centre chosen Nursing Best Practice Spotlight Organization

Toronto -The Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO) announced today that it has selected West Park Healthcare Centre as one of seven Nursing Best Practice Spotlight Organizations within the province. The partnership reflects West Park's previous work with RNAO best practice guidelines, and the knowledge, skill and experience of the centre's project team. West Park is the regional rehabilitation centre for the western Greater Toronto Area. It also provides complex continuing (chronic) and long-term care services.

Best practice guidelines are systematically developed recommendations that address clinical situations based on best available evidence. The guidelines assist clinical professionals to deliver the best possible care to consumers.

"Spotlight Organizations are considered leaders in the field of nursing best practice guidelines," says Doris Grinspun, executive director of the RNAO. "This partnership reflects very positively on the executive and nursing leadership at the centre and work done by staff at West Park. We look forward to working collaboratively with West Park and the other Spotlight Organizations in planning, implementing, evaluating nursing best practice guidelines and disseminating knowledge from demonstrated experiences with guidelines across the country."

The Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) has provided funding for this initiative to support the development and implementation of nursing best practice guidelines. As a result, West Park and the other Spotlight Organizations will receive additional funding that will provide opportunities for training and development of clinical staff as well as specialized development for registered nurses to become unit-based experts in a number of fields, as the basis for support to other nursing colleagues in the implementation of best practices.

Among the guidelines that West Park will implement and evaluate are:

• Screening for dementia, delirium and depression in older adults
• Promoting continence using prompted voiding
• Prevention of constipation in the older adult population
• Prevention of falls and fall injuries in the older adult
• Client-centred care
• Assessment and management of pain

"West Park fundamentally believes that it must continue to strive to improve the care and services for the population it serves," says Barry Monaghan, the centre's president & CEO. "One of the essential mechanisms for doing so is the implementation of best practice guidelines. West Park Healthcare Centre is very proud to have been selected a Spotlight Organization."

The RNAO Nursing Best Practice initiative is congruent with the centre's values, which are that West Park will pursue innovation and excellence through best possible health care practices; by seeking out opportunities for partnership in the broader health care community, by setting newer and higher standards whenever and wherever possible and by incorporating teaching, research and evidence-based practice into everything it does.

"The partnership between the RNAO and West Park will be a dynamic and long-term one, and will focus on making a positive impact on patient care," says Anne-Marie Malek, Chief Nursing Executive at West Park. "West Park has established a multi-year plan for the ongoing implementation and evaluation of guidelines. This has been an integral component of West Park's initiative in fostering the professional development of our nursing staff and has proven effective in improving patient outcomes."

Through valuable partnerships with organizations such as the RNAO, West Park provides educational and mentoring opportunities that are designed to further nursing professional development and, ultimately, will have an impact on patient outcomes. West Park has also established relationships with several other corporate and community partners in the implementation of clinical research and nursing education opportunities.

The seven RNAO Nursing Best Practice Spotlight Organizations are:

• Hôpital regional de Sudbury Regional Hospital
• Niagara Health System
• Royal Victoria Hospital
• Saint Elizabeth Health Care
• Victorian Order of Nurses, Canada/VON Peterborough Victoria Haliburton
• University Health Network
• West Park Healthcare Centre

For more information, please contact:

Sandra Fawcett, Director, Public Relations
Phone: (416) 243-3730
Email: sandra.fawcett@westpark.org