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The Synergy Tool: Making Important Quality Gains within One Healthcare Organization

Author

Listed:
  • Enoch Ho

    (Quality and Performance, Hamilton Health Sciences, Hamilton, ON L8V 1C3, Canada)

  • Elaine Principi

    (Quality and Performance, Hamilton Health Sciences, Hamilton, ON L8V 1C3, Canada)

  • Charissa P. Cordon

    (Quality and Performance, Hamilton Health Sciences, Hamilton, ON L8V 1C3, Canada)

  • Yayra Amenudzie

    (Quality and Performance, Hamilton Health Sciences, Hamilton, ON L8V 1C3, Canada)

  • Krista Kotwa

    (Quality and Performance, Hamilton Health Sciences, Hamilton, ON L8V 1C3, Canada)

  • Sarah Holt

    (Quality and Performance, Hamilton Health Sciences, Hamilton, ON L8V 1C3, Canada)

  • Maura MacPhee

    (School of Nursing, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 2B5, Canada)

Abstract

Background: Evidence-based clinical care delivery begins with comprehensive assessments of patients’ priority needs. A Canadian health sciences corporation conducted a quality improvement initiative to enhance clinical care delivery, beginning with one acute care site. A real-time staffing tool, the synergy tool, was used by direct care providers and leadership to design and implement patient-centered care delivery. The synergy tool is the patient characteristics component of the Synergy Model™, developed by an expert panel of nurses in the 1990s. Since then, the tool has been effectively used to assess a variety of patient populations on eight important characteristics, informing real-time staffing decisions. Methods: Plan-Do-Study Act cycles were managed by department-based project teams with assistance from business analytics and a quality/safety officer. Results: Initial findings demonstrate reductions in nurse missed breaks, improved workload management, and significant increases in staff engagement. Conclusions: The synergy tool is an easy-to-use tool that can be used to highlight priority care needs for individual patients or specific patient populations. The tool informs real-time staffing decisions, ensuring a better fit between patient needs and nurse staffing assignments. Although this initiative began with nurses, project work is expanding to include inter-professional teams.

Suggested Citation

  • Enoch Ho & Elaine Principi & Charissa P. Cordon & Yayra Amenudzie & Krista Kotwa & Sarah Holt & Maura MacPhee, 2017. "The Synergy Tool: Making Important Quality Gains within One Healthcare Organization," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 7(3), pages 1-8, September.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jadmsc:v:7:y:2017:i:3:p:32-:d:111184
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    Cited by:

    1. Carmen Berne-Manero & Maria Gómez-Campillo & Mercedes Marzo-Navarro & Marta Pedraja-Iglesias, 2018. "Reviewing the Online Tourism Value Chain," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 8(3), pages 1-18, August.

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