Case studies

Social Movement Action Framework

Social Movement Action Framework, Collective identity Making change happen

Building a global collective identity to advance knowledge uptake and sustainability - the RNAO Best Practice Spotlight Organization (BPSO) Program

RNAO's Best Practice Spotlight Organization (BPSO) program has integrated a collective identity of knowledge champions to advance evidence uptake and sustainability.

The Best Practice Spotlight Organization® (BPSO®) Program (https://rnao.ca/bpg/bpso)  has global reach and impact that is sustained by many factors, including the development of collective identity that promotes an evidence-based culture. The BPSO logo, as a tangible representation of a collective identity, is displayed in individual sites to indicate they are BPSO units. This visibility motivates and inspires nurses and other staff to use best practice guidelines (BPG) to support the health and well-being of staff, patients/persons and their families. Participation and membership in the international BPSO network further the ties and pride of BPSO and builds the collective identity (Grinspun & Bajnok, 2018).  

Within organizations, individual BPSOs nurture Best Practice (BP) Champions (https://rnao.ca/bpg/get-involved/champions) who take on leadership roles to support the planning, implementation, evaluation and sustainability of BPGs. Nurses and other staff members develop a collective identity based on a culture of integrating evidence-based practice to achieve excellence in care. The visibility of BP Champions is seen when staff where BPSO-branded clothing items, and pins that are awarded at the completion of the Best Practice Champions’ training workshop (see the examples below of social media posts of BPSO-branded t-shirts and a pinning ceremony of new champions by RNAO CEO, Dr. Doris Grinspun) (Grinspun & Bajnok, 2018).  

RNAO BPSO
BPSO Champions
Social Movement Action Framework, Individual and collective action Making change happen

Mobilizing community engagement to sustain a childhood obesity prevention initiative

Multiple communities mobilized to sustain a childhood obesity prevention program through targeted individual and collective action. Read more in this case study. 

A community initiative called Sustainable Childhood Obesity Prevention through Community Engagement (SCOPE) provides an example of collective action in the context of public health.

In the SCOPE public health initiative, the community formed a coalition with local partners such as libraries and primary care offices to take collective action for the prevention of childhood obesity. Together, they participated in a range of collective action activities, including: presentations and events promoting healthy eating choices, stakeholder engagement, resource development and policy and practice change (Kennedy et al., 2019a). 

British Columbia
childhood obesity
Social Movement Action Framework, Individual and collective action Making change happen

Promoting healthy public policy through mobilized collective actions

Queen’s Park on the Road and Queen’s Park Day are two events in which RNAO members meet with members of provincial parliament (MPPs) from all of the political parties to promote healthy public policy and nursing services. through individual and collective actions. Learn more in this case study.  

Through two annual initiatives – Queen’s Park on the Road and Queen’s Park Day – RNAO members meet with members of provincial parliament (MPPs) from all of the political parties to promote healthy public policy and nursing services. Through direct engagement and advocacy with MPPs, RNAO has mobilized collective action for policy initiatives addressing areas such as poverty reduction, the use of pesticides for cosmetic use, promoting refugee health and protecting the safety and security of residents in long-term care (Grinspun et al., 2018a).       

Ontario
Queens Park Day

Knowledge-to-Action Framework

Knowledge-to-Action Framework, Sustain knowledge use Sustaining change

Sustaining the Assessment and Management of Pain Best Practice Guideline across a multi-site long-term care home

The Region of Peel, a Best Practice Spotlight Organization® (BPSO®), has sustained the implementation of the Assessment and Management of Pain best practice guideline (BPG) for almost a decade. 

The Region of Peel, an RNAO Best Practice Spotlight Organization® (BPSO®) started implementing the RNAO Assessment and Management of Pain best practice guideline (BPG) in 2014 and has sustained its use since then. For example, in their 2019 BPSO annual report, they cited a continuous downward trend in the number of clients who reported a worsening of their pain. Pain experienced by the residents was better controlled, and the staff was found to assess, identify, and manage pain better by using the BPG.

Their keys to success include:

  • building on what works (for example, existing practices and policies)
  • empowering champions and growing their champion network
  • involving residents and families
  • gaining support from leaders and partners including RNAO, Peel of Region Leadership, Health Quality Ontario).
  • collaborating with an interdisciplinary team
  • conducting a formal sustainability evaluation

To learn more about The Region of Peel’s journey in sustaining the use of the Assessing and Managing Pain BPG, along with other BPGs, check out this webinar.

Region of Peel
Region of Peel
Knowledge-to-Action Framework, Assess barriers/facilitators to knowledge use

Overcoming barriers to evidence-based practice – Lessons learned from DongZhiMen Hospital and Beijing University of Chinese Medicine (BUCM) School of Nursing

DongZhiMen Hospital and Beijing University of Chinese Medicine (BUCM) School of Nursing are international BPSOs in Beijing, China. Staff at the sites identified barriers to the use of evidence in practice including heavy workloads, cultural differences and reluctant attitudes about using evidence to inform practice.   

DongZhiMen Hospital and Beijing University of Chinese Medicine (BUCM) School of Nursing are international BPSOs in Beijing, China. They identified barriers to the use of evidence in practice including heavy workloads, cultural differences and reluctant attitudes about using evidence to inform practice. The assessment and identification of barriers allowed change teams to develop effective strategies for implementation with the input of stakeholders.

For example, for the implementation of the RNAO best practice guideline Assessment and management of foot ulcers for people with diabetes, barriers included

  • nursing shortages across China,
  • a lack of training to support the development of knowledge and skills in evidence-based nursing practice,
  • the costs of guideline implementation. and
  • practice recommendations that exceeded local nursing scope.

SOURCE: Transforming Nursing Through Knowledge, 2018.

Beijing, China
Beijing School of Nursing
Knowledge-to-Action Framework, Assess barriers/facilitators to knowledge use

Facilitating an evidence-based culture at Unity Health Toronto - St. Michael’s Hospital

Unity Health Toronto - St. Michael’s Hospital, a Best Practice Spotlight Organization® (BPSO®) has embedded evidence-based practices into its culture and daily work processes as part of its corporate strategy. 

Unity Health Toronto - St. Michael’s Hospital, a Best Practice Spotlight Organization® (BPSO®) in Toronto, Canada, has embedded evidence-based practices into its culture and daily work processes. Evidence-based practice is part of the hospital’s corporate strategy. It has invested resources to build a critical mass (over 30 per cent) of staff members who are best practice champions.

Image
Heather McConnell, former Director, IABPG Centre, at St. Mike's Hospital Gallery Walk

The hospital also provides multiple capacity-building opportunities, including a community of practice, boot camps, booster sessions and mentorship. The annual Nursing Week Gallery Walk, depicted in the image above, is just one way that St. Michael’s Hospital profiles the work of champions and others dedicated to using evidence to inform change initiatives.
SOURCE: Transforming Nursing Through Knowledge, 2018.

Unity Health Toronto - St. Michael's Hospital
Unity Health Toronto

Engaging Persons with Lived Experiences

Engaging persons with lived experience

Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital: Co-designing change through the active engagement of persons with lived experience

A case study from Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital focused on engaging persons with lived experience in a change process. 

Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital (hereafter referred to as Holland Bloorview) is a designated Best Practice Spotlight Organization® (BPSO®) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.  Holland Bloorview has an award-winning Family Leadership Program (FLP), through which family leaders partner with the organization and the Bloorview Research Institute to co-design, shape, and improve services, programs, and policies. Family leaders are families and caregivers who have received services at Holland Bloorview, and have lived experiences of paediatric disability. Family leaders’ roles include being a mentor to other families, an advisor to committees and working groups, and faculty who co-teach workshops to students and other families. 

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Family leader roles from Holland Bloorview

 Family Leader Roles at Holland Bloorview. Photo provided with permission by Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital.

The ENFit Working Group is an example of a successful implementation co-design process within Holland Bloorview. The ENFit Working Group is an interprofessional team working on the adoption of a new type of connection on products used for enteral feeding  [feeding directly through the stomach or intestine via a tube]. By introducing the ENFit system, a best practice safety standard, the working group plans to reduce the risk of disconnecting the feeding tube from other medical tubes, and thus decrease harm to children and youth who require enteral feeding.

Image
Family partnering graphic

Family Partnering with the EnFit Working Group. Photo provided with permission by Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital. 

The working group invited a family member and leader whose son had received services at Holland Bloorview. This family member had significant lived experience with enteral feeding management, enteral medication administration, and other complexities associated with enteral products. During the meetings, great attention was given to the potential impacts on persons and families. The group engaged the family member by:

  • co-creating the implementation plan
  • involving them in a failure mode affects analysis, which highlighted the impact of the feeding tube supplies on transitions to home, school, and other care settings
  • working with the family member to advocate for safe transitions within the provincial pediatric system, which led to the development of the Ontario Pediatric ENFit Group

To learn more about Holland Bloorview’s experience in partnering with families in a co-design process, watch their 38-minute webinar: The Power of Family Partnerships.

Toronto, Ontario
Image of two children running in a field