Joseph Brant Hospital Statement – Pressure Ulcers Action Plan

May 23, 2019

Joseph Brant Hospital Statement – Pressure Ulcers Action Plan

In the past two weeks stories have appeared in the media about complex and chronic wound care that have referenced Joseph Brant Hospital (JBH).  We are very sorry any time a patient experiences harm in hospital.  We are taking immediate action to address these issues more broadly. 

It is our commitment to be open and transparent with our community and to reassure the people whom we serve that we provide safe, high quality care.  As well, we are committed to continuous learning and improvement in our daily practices and providing leadership in raising awareness of hospital-acquired pressure ulcers. 

As a result, we have developed a Pressure Ulcers Action Plan to review and improve wound care at Joseph Brant Hospital:

• We are conducting a comprehensive quality of care review of Mr. Wilson’s case while at Joseph Brant Hospital. This quality review will be completed by Thursday May 30, 2019. The hospital will also engage an external third-party expert to review our case findings and recommendations. We will share and discuss the results of our review with his family as soon as possible.
• We will follow a similar process involving Ms. Birkett’s father; our first meeting with his family is scheduled to take place this week.  This process will also include an internal quality of care review followed by an external third-party expert review. We intend to meet again with his family to discuss the results.  
• Most Ontario hospitals voluntarily undertake annual Prevalence and Incidence Studies related to pressure ulcers. Joseph Brant Hospital’s last Prevalence and Incidence Study was completed in February 2019. To reassure our community about our commitment to this initiative, Joseph Brant Hospital will be conducting quarterly prevalence studies in order to increase surveillance and prevention of hospital-acquired pressure wounds.
• Interdisciplinary teams at JBH, including physicians and nurses, will lead our latest Prevalence and Incidence Study on Friday May 24, 2019.  We will review current inpatients and discuss any findings with patients and their families.  We will be sharing the results of this prevalence study with the community.
• Starting in June 2019, Joseph Brant Hospital will be voluntarily publicly reporting our performance on pressure ulcers and surgical site infection rates. Currently these are not mandatory, publicly reported indicators. Joseph Brant Hospital is taking a leadership role by publicly reporting these indicators. We know that public reporting will result in system changes, increased awareness, and improved health outcomes for patients.
• We encourage patients and families to speak directly with their physician if they have any questions about pressure ulcers or any related care concerns.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we address these issues.   

Sincerely,

Eric Vandewall

President and CEO

Joseph Brant Hospital