Celebrating World Patient Safety Day: Safe care for each new child and each little one

Each yr on Sept. 17, World Patient Safety Day supplies an essential alternative to boost consciousness, share information, and spotlight initiatives that defend the well being and well-being of sufferers across the globe. This yr, the theme “Safe care for every newborn and every child” emphasizes the very important function of security in making certain wholesome beginnings and brighter futures.

Patient security isn’t just a precedence; additionally it is the collective duty of our healthcare groups. For newborns and kids, protected care means greater than medical excellence; it means creating an surroundings through which households really feel supported, dangers are minimized, and each little one has the chance to develop and thrive.

Nova Scotia Health is deeply dedicated to advancing affected person security for folks, infants and kids. From strengthening care practices to constructing consciousness amongst groups, our initiatives mirror the idea that protected care is the muse of wholesome communities.

Today, we’re highlighting three initiatives that assist kids at totally different phases of improvement: throughout being pregnant and in utero, within the time surrounding delivery, and later in childhood and adolescence. These embody initiatives corresponding to bettering responsiveness to postpartum hemorrhage, enhancing security in neonatal and pediatric care, and increasing entry to gender-affirming.

Improving Safety for Birthing Person and Children in Eastern Zone

An essential initiative at Cape Breton Regional Hospital and Saint Martha’s Regional Hospital is strengthening how employees reply to postpartum hemorrhage (PPH).

PPH impacts about 10 per cent of deliveries and is among the main causes of maternal dying. To deal with this severe situation, the group partnered with the moreOB program, a efficiency enchancment program that fosters a tradition of affected person security in obstetrical models. The program helped establish gaps in care and align practices with the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada pointers.

“Physicians and nurses complete an online education module and then take part in a collaborative workshop,” stated Charlene Candelora, medical nurse chief of Family and Newborn Services at CBRH. “We focus on best practices in risk assessment, role clarity, staging, quantitative blood loss, and medication management.”

This work is already creating change. Staff really feel extra assured utilizing constant instruments and coaching, sufferers profit from clear communication and proactive care, and groups are constructing stronger collaboration by figuring out efficient practices collectively. The result’s safer outcomes for sufferers via earlier recognition and therapy of PPH, and a extra supportive medical expertise for sufferers giving delivery and their new child general.

Kelley Lundrigan is the supervisor of Women & Children’s Health at CBRH. She’s impressed by how properly groups are working collectively on this initiative. “I’m really proud of how our teams are collaborating between hospitals. This work is all about collaboration between staff and strong teamwork,” she stated.

Candelora agreed, including that management encouragement is important. “We wouldn’t have been able to spread this enthusiasm without leadership support,” she defined. “When frontline staff feel encouraged, that energy ripples outward to others and sparks new ideas for improvement. It allows the core team to step up as leaders in their own right, and that has been key to how this initiative has rolled out.”

This initiative helps create safer look after individuals giving delivery, newborns, and kids in Eastern Zone. 

Public Health Early Years Supports Growing Families 

Public Health Early Years is a provincial program that helps households throughout Nova Scotia, with companies delivered regionally in every zone. In Central Zone, this system supplies care and helps join households with companies throughout being pregnant and within the early phases of childhood. 

“Early Years is an important part of the support system for families during a time when there’s a lot of change and new challenges. This connection is especially helpful for those who are navigating first-time pregnancy and parenthood,” stated Katherine Malec, supervisor of Early Years in Central Zone.

Traditionally, households have been linked via hospital-based screening, the place Public Health nurses (PHNs) meet them quickly after delivery and supply referrals to the appropriate helps. But analysis reveals that connecting with households earlier – within the prenatal interval – results in higher outcomes. To make this shift attainable, a standardized provincial referral type has been launched. This creates a constant course of throughout the province and helps set up clear prenatal referral pathways between main care suppliers and companions and Public Health Early Years. With earlier referrals, PHNs can present well being training and join households to helps and companies earlier than delivery, bettering outcomes for each dad or mum and child. The purpose is to make sure shoppers obtain the appropriate care, on the proper time from the appropriate suppliers or companies. 

PHNs are on the coronary heart of this work. They meet one-on-one with households to study which Early Years companies finest go well with their wants and proceed to supply assist throughout being pregnant and after the child is born. 

PHNs information and assist households on a variety of points, together with toddler feeding, sleep, psychological well being, progress and improvement, immunizations, diet, dad or mum–little one relationships, and social helps. They additionally work intently with allied well being professionals and neighborhood organizations to verify households have entry to the perfect data and companies obtainable. This collaborative strategy helps households really feel supported and assured as they navigate being pregnant, delivery, and early childhood. 

Sometimes, PHNs are the primary to acknowledge when pressing medical care is required. “In that moment, the nurse might realize a baby is in distress and needs to be seen right away,” stated Tina Swinamer, supervisor of Early Years in Central Zone. “That could mean emergency, a primary care provider, or 811 for triage.” Other instances, PHN’s can assist households in figuring out helps of their communities, household useful resource centres, meals packages, education schemes. They also can assist households in navigating the well being system and when to hunt medical care.

Knowledge-sharing amongst PHNs is one other cornerstone of this system. “We have working groups within our Public Health nurse network,” stated Malec. “One is focused on supporting newcomer families and has developed and translated resources and materials to help both families and staff. We also use discussion and information sharing to strengthen our support of each other and the clients.”

All Nova Scotia residents who’re pregnant or have younger kids can entry assist from Public Health. Families can contact Public Health immediately or be referred to Early Years by a healthcare supplier or neighborhood group, corresponding to a Family Resource Centre. Accessing companies is inspired as early as attainable in being pregnant. While a referral to Public Health Early Years in being pregnant is right, a referral will be made at any time till the kid is 5-years-old. Families can count on to listen to again inside a couple of days. 

By combining medical experience, standardized referral processes, neighborhood connections, and shared studying, Public Health Early Years helps households thrive – beginning even earlier than a child is born.  

Expanding Access to Gender-Affirming Care in Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia Health is advancing gender-affirming care via new devoted clinics and ongoing capacity-building initiatives. Two gender affirming care clinics have already been established: one in Kentville in February 2024 and one other in Bridgewater in March 2025, with plans for extra throughout the province.

These clinics present evidence-based look after trans and gender-diverse youth searching for affirming hormone remedy and puberty blockers, together with wraparound helps to make sure a protected and supportive care surroundings. Services comply with the World Professional Association for Transgender Health requirements of care, essentially the most present worldwide pointers. According to the Canadian Paediatric Society, gender-affirming care — healthcare that helps an individual’s gender identification — is the usual of look after trans and gender-diverse youth.

This work is additional strengthened by the Child & Adolescent Capacity Building Project, often known as the Clinical Care Pathways initiative. “The project has been ongoing for several years and was recently evaluated,” stated Kady Myers, Mental Health and Addiction Services senior analyst supporting little one and youth. “Its goals are to ensure clinicians have access to the most up to date, evidence-based information, to provide consistent high-quality care across the province, and to allow flexibility so services are personalized and culturally relevant.” Each pathway is developed with enter from specialists, often reviewed, and tailored to satisfy rising wants.

Another essential development is the adoption of the CAPA framework (Choice and Partnership Approach) for little one and adolescent psychological well being and addictions care. CAPA emphasizes collaboration, shared decision-making, and lively participation from younger individuals and their households. It improves each entry to and high quality of care and is supported by a complicated apply lead function, which supplies clinicians with coaching and ongoing steerage.

These efforts are increasing entry, bettering high quality, and making certain gender-affirming and psychological well being care for kids and youth throughout Nova Scotia.

Thank you to all employees, physicians, companions, and volunteers who assist affected person security in our services and communities every day.

Photo of the group behind gender-affirming care clinics.