Clinical Standardization Quality Improvement Program

The Clinical Standardization Quality Improvement Program is a multi-year initiative that will improve the safety, quality, and consistency of patient care across Saskatchewan. A new, shared electronic health record system is replacing paper charts and will integrate with a number of outdated systems currently in use.

Clinical standardization will lead to: enhanced patient and provider experience, improved health outcomes, and lower system costs.

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What's changing

• Health professionals across the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) will adopt common clinical standards (including workflows, order sets, clinical guidelines and integrated plans of care).
• Patient records will be updated and shared electronically via a shared clinical information system.
• Altera’s Sunrise Clinical Manager (SCM) will continue to be used as the SHA’s electronic health record in the acute care setting. SCM will be enhanced and expanded to acute care facilities and departments that are currently paper-based.
• Other Altera applications that function within SCM, such as Sunrise Enterprise Registration (SER) and Sunrise Enterprise Scheduler (SES) will expand to replace legacy applications.
• Computerized provider order entry (CPOE) and other instructions will be entered directly into the clinical information system and will immediately become part of the patient’s record.

What’s changing for health professionals

• Less unnecessary variation in care – consistent clinical practices across the province.
• An electronic patient chart – no more searching for or waiting for the chart, writing orders on paper, or deciphering handwriting.
• Easy-to-access information about the patient’s condition, allergies, medications, and previous medical history.

How things will change

Standardized clinical content

• Order sets
• Integrated plans of care
• Structured documentation standards
• Standardized nursing content
• Structured terminology for diagnosis/problems

Shared and improved processes

• Provincially standardized patient registration
• Provincially standardized triage, admission, and discharge processes
• Downtime processes and policies

Better use of technology

• Electronic medication reconciliation
• Computerized order entry
• Electronic bedside medication administration
• Electronic clinical documentation
• Shared electronic health record