Project work includes designing and validating shared, consistent, evidence-informed clinical practices; and configuring a powerful clinical information system. It also includes developing a comprehensive education program that will cater to the different learning needs of care providers, nurses, and ancillary and support staff across VCH, PHSA and PHC.
The CST Cerner system and new standardized clinical practices have been implemented at sites including Vancouver General Hospital, Lions Gate Hospital, Squamish General Hospital, St. Paul's Hospital, Mount Saint Joseph, BC Cancer – Vancouver, BC Children’s Hospital and BC Women’s Hospital + Health Centre, and will continue to roll out at facilities across VCH, PHSA and PHC. As a foundation for this work, the Vancouver Pharmacy Production Centre opened in fall 2016.
What will change?
- Health professionals across Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH), the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) and Providence Health Care (PHC) will adopt common clinical and process standards (including workflows, order sets, clinical guidelines and integrated plans of care).
- Medications and other instructions will be entered directly into the clinical information system and will immediately become part of the patient’s record (computerized provider order entry).
- Patient records will be updated and shared electronically via the clinical information system.
- Health professionals in acute care facilities across VCH, PHSA and PHC will use a fully electronic closed loop medication management process. This will help improve patient safety by making sure each medication is prescribed and given to the right patient, in the right dose, at the right time, with the right documentation.
About the clinical information system
VCH, PHSA and PHC are implementing a shared clinical information system based on software developed by Cerner. The shared system, called CST Cerner, will consolidate patient data from over 50 current systems into one electronic health record.
What this means for health professionals
- An electronic patient chart means no more searching for the chart, writing orders on paper, or deciphering handwriting.
- Easy-to-access information about the patient’s condition, allergies, medications and previous medical history.
- Ability to see a patient’s chart when they’re still in the Emergency Department, before they have arrived on a hospital unit.
How things will change
Standardized Clinical Content
- Order sets
- Integrated plans of care
- Structured documentation standards
- Standardized nursing content
- Algorithms for proactive response to sepsis
- Structured terminology for diagnosis/problems
Shared and Improved Processes
- Patient intake, triage and admission
- Closed loop medication management
- Downtime processes and policies
- Discharge processes
- Rapid Response Team activation
Better Use of Technology
- Electronic medication reconciliation
- Computerized provider order entry
- Electronic bedside medication administration
- Electronic clinical documentation
- Shared electronic health record
- Automated dispensing cabinets
- Clinical decision support
- Results and reports distribution to primary and community care
- Automated monitoring with Bedside Medical Device Integration (BMDI) & FetaLink
- Shared data warehouse
