Nova Scotians can now vote for top ideas in health care challenge

The Houston government is letting Nova Scotians judge the top 10 ideas submitted by health care workers to improve the system.

These ideas aren’t reforms, but rather tweaks that reveal the challenges hospitals are facing. More than 2,200 ideas were submitted by front-line health care workers, and 50 of them won $1,000 after their names were chosen in a random draw earlier this month.

The criteria for the contest, called the Healthcare Improvement Challenge, was that the ideas must be easy to implement with little or no cost. Premier Tim Houston brought the idea back from a trip to Singapore where it had been tried. Online voting is now open and closes Jan. 8 at 11:59pm

“The number of ideas received shows there are many common-sense, low cost, and easy to implement improvements that will make a difference in the lives of patients, families and those working in healthcare,” Houston said in a news release on Wednesday. “I thank everyone who took the time to submit an idea.”

A review panel created a shortlist of 20 ideas chosen from all eligible submissions.

Nova Scotians can vote for their three favourite ideas from the list posted here. Houston said the top 10 ideas will be revealed at the end of January.

Here is the shortlist of 20 ideas:

• Improve the experience of accessing health care for gender diverse Nova Scotians by encouraging and providing health care professionals with training on inclusive language
• Enable hospital caller ID, so patients can see when the hospital calls. Many people don’t answer unknown numbers, and if the patient doesn’t indicate their name in their voicemail, a message can’t be left. This creates delays in patient services
• A no show or missed appointment is an appointment someone else could use to receive care. Set up a text notification system that reminds patients of their appointment date, time, and location
• Provide patients with ear plugs and single-use eye masks in areas where they’re trying to rest, but faced with an external disruption (inpatient units with multiple beds, emergency department hallways, intensive care unit, etc.)
• Provide patients the option to receive appointment letters by email rather than by posted mail. This would save money, reduce no shows and missed appointments, and reduce waste
• Allow for group or family bookings for flu and COVID-19 vaccination appointments. Households can visit one pharmacy, under one appointment
• Stop sending a physical copy of the Pharmacare News Bulletin to health care professionals. Replace it with a digital or online option. This will save money and reduce waste
• Add whiteboards to all labour rooms where important birth, patient information, and notes can be posted. It’s a quick snapshot for health care workers coming into the room, especially if there is an emergency
• Find new ways (like QR codes and posters in hospital units/patient rooms) to provide patients with educational materials and pamphlets, and to promote the library services page. This important information often gets lost or ignored
• Develop a registration app. Patients enter their information and it generates a QR code. Clerks scan this on arrival for the appointment. It would save time, remove data coding errors, and could be linked with the new e-referral initiative
• Stop using emergency departments for pre-operative bloodwork for patients scheduled to have a Monday morning procedure. It creates added pressure in emergency departments. Instead, offer them priority bloodwork appointments before the weekend
• Some health care providers send patients their requisitions for bloodwork electronically. Instead of making patients find a place to print it before their appointment, allow them to submit the requisition electronically by email
• If you can book a diagnostic imaging appointment (MRI, ultrasound, etc.) online, you should be able to cancel online. Give patients the option to cancel these appointments online
• Allow for audiologists to send direct referrals to ear, nose and throat (ENT) physicians instead of making patients go through their primary care provider (family doctor or nurse practitioner) to get this referral
• Support Continuing Care Assistants (CCAs) to work to their full scope of practice (for example let them take vitals). This change would reduce the pressure on nurses who can spend that time providing better patient care.
• Improve Nova Scotia Health social media channels. Instead of one channel that shares a mix of patient resources, announcements, awards, conferences and employee recognition, have individual channels so people can follow the information important to them
• Install speakers in all waiting rooms and bathrooms. Many patients miss when their name is called. A screen or monitor that displays the patient’s name when they get called is also an option, especially for those people who are hard of hearing
• Allow patients to pre-register online by sending them a link to fill out a form in advance of their surgery or specialist appointment. This will make intake for nurses working in clinics or pre-operative settings faster
• Install screens or monitors in all emergency departments that show publicly available wait times, public health information, and other related information about what a patient should expect in the emergency department
• Work with existing food service vendors to install vending machines or food counters in emergency departments that have healthy and affordable food options, so patients don’t have to leave in search of food or drink and risk missing an appointment