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What is ambulatory care?
The recently accepted report on ambulatory care from Corpus Sanchez proposes the following definition:
“Ambulatory care is defined as a broad range of services, including prevention, assessment, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation that are most effectively delivered in an outpatient setting where hospitalization is not desired or required. These services will include specialty clinics; non-specialty clinics; community-based programs and services; day surgery; other primary health care services and private practice. These services will be patient-centred and delivered through a network of clinical and research sites, including, but not limited to, hospital-based outpatient clinic settings.”
While many people participated in visioning sessions with Corpus Sanchez to arrive at that definition the report suggests that “Saskatoon Health Region engage a broader group in a dialogue on the definition of ambulatory care and the vision to create a world-class centre at the Saskatoon City Hospital site as the hub for that vision, and the principles that will guide decisions on siting.” Ambulatory Planning Team Explores Possibilities,
Vision for
Patient Care
Saskatoon Health Region’s ambulatory planning team is moving ahead with the next steps of their daunting but exciting work, including a vision for ambulatory care in the Region and site comparisons to help them imagine the possibilities.
“This isn’t simply about moving pieces around,” says Leanne Smith, Saskatoon Health Region’s new Director of Ambulatory Planning. “It’s about looking very objectively at what we’re doing and how we’re doing it, to see if we can improve the service and care we give to our patients and families and make the work environment appealing to our staff and physicians.”
Focus groups and site reviews will help shape vision
From February to April, focus groups were held with staff, physicians and clients to gather information that, along with other sources such as an external consultant’s report, will inform a draft vision for ambulatory care.
The steering committee is also reviewing possible sites that could be considered for information and comparison, such as the Mayo Clinic, and Princess Margaret Hospital and the Women’s College, both in Toronto. These sites will provide Saskatoon Health Region with information about leading ambulatory practices in Canada and the United States.
In addition to focus groups and site reviews, a literature review will also help identify leading ambulatory care practices.
The steering team is reviewing the Region’s inventory of ambulatory services and volumes and developing a decision-making framework to help guide ambulatory care site decisions. The framework will help determine which programs will be located at Saskatoon City Hospital – the hub of ambulatory care in the Region.
The next steps
Once the focus group information is synthesized and reviewed, the steering committee’s working group will create a draft vision and share it with various groups for feedback and collaboration.
The steering committee, which includes Leanne Smith and executive sponsor and VP Acute Care Jackie Mann, commits to regular updates on their progress and will engage clients, staff and physicians as they continue to plan.
The steering committee also thanks Richard Dagenais, who managed the ambulatory planning project in his former Corporate Planning role, for his work leading up to this point. Richard recently started a new role in Medical Imaging.
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