North Western Toronto BPSO OHT implements RNAO’s best practice guidelines to optimize patient care

One hundred frontline care providers and CEOs from the 13 organizations that make up the North Western Toronto Best Practice Spotlight Organization Ontario Health Team (NWT BPSO OHT) are meeting on Dec. 2 and 3 to share best practices and develop champions of evidence-based care. These champions will ensure staff from all disciplines are inspired to engage in leading excellence in clinical care for patients. 

The NWT BPSO OHT is a partnership between RNAO and health organizations in the city’s north west end that provide primary care, acute care, home and community care, long-term care and mental health and addiction services.

“Four of the organizations in the NWT BPSO OHT are already RNAO Best Practice Spotlight Organizations (BPSO). Through this partnership, we have learned to implement the world-renowned best practice guidelines (BPG) from RNAO, in home care, hospital care, rehabilitation and long-term care. By joining together, all of  the partners are reinforcing our commitment to evidence-based practice to enhance health outcomes for all patients across all sectors within our team, and expanding our expertise to all the organizations that compose our OHT,” says Barb Collins, president and chief executive officer of Humber River Hospital (HRH) and one of 13 NWT BPSO OHT partners.

RNAO’s BPGs are tools that are based on the best available evidence. They cover health promotion, disease prevention and other curative topics such as wound care. OHTs that partner with RNAO agree to implement two mandatory guidelines which are Person and Family Centred Care and Care Transitions, and two other guidelines of their choice. The NWT BPSO OHT is implementing; Assessment and Management of Pressure Injuries for the Interprofessional Team; and Preventing Falls and Reducing Injury from Falls.

“Other OHTs may choose different guidelines depending on their needs,” says Dr. Doris Grinspun, chief executive officer of RNAO and the founder of the BPG program.

When the provincial government released its strategy to transform the health system, the NWT OHT submitted an application to become an Ontario Health Team. 

“We applaud these organizations for their commitment to evidence-based care and for the leadership they are fostering among frontline staff. We have no doubt that this partnership will advance  the government’s goal of seamless care for patients, better health outcomes, lower health system costs and provide health professionals with the pride they deserve to experience while delivering excellent care,” says RNAO President Angela Cooper Brathwaite. 

The health organizations that make up the North Western Toronto BPSO OHT are: Addiction Services for York Region, Black Creek Community Health Centre, Canadian Mental Health Association, Cota, Humber River Family Health Team, Humber River Hospital, Loft Community Services, Lumacare, Runnymede Healthcare Centre, SE Health, Unison Health & Community Services, Villa Colombo and West Park Healthcare Centre. 

RNAO’s Best Practice Guidelines program is funded by the Ministry of Health. It was conceived in 1998 and launched in 1999 to provide the best available evidence for patient care across a wide range of health sectors. The 54 guidelines developed to date represent a substantial contribution towards building excellence in Ontario’s health system. The Best Practice Spotlight Organizations (BPSO) initiative provides support to organizations that have formally agreed to implement and evaluate multiple RNAO best practice guidelines over a four-year period. First launched in 2003, the BPSO initiative has since spread widely across Canada and countries around the world. Today, there are 550 organizations in Ontario and 350 elsewhere actively engaged as BPSOs.  

The Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO) is the professional association representing registered nurses, nurse practitioners, and nursing students in Ontario. Since 1925, RNAO has advocated for healthy public policy, promoted excellence in nursing practice, increased nurses’ contribution to shaping the health-care system, and influenced decisions that affect nurses and the public they serve.