Irene Carson, RN, BScN
Windsor Regional Hospital
Windsor, ON
Kari-Lynn Malec, RN, BScN, CEN, CCRN
Windsor Regional Hospital
Windsor, ON
Trish Stollar-Garlick, RN, BScN, MSN/ED
Windsor Regional Hospital
Windsor, ON
Windsor Regional Hospital signed up to participate in the Safer Healthcare Now initiative ‘Improving patient care for the Acute Myocardial Infarction patient’. This initiative was chosen to ensure that WRH was following best practice guidelines for the AMI patient. Since the implementation of the electronic AMI pathway, WRH’s mortality rate for AMI patients has decreased 14% (from 2006/7 to 2007/2008).
An electronic clinical pathway was developed after a literature review was performed. Baseline data was captured prior to the implementation of the pathway for benchmark purposes. Safer Healthcare requirements were reviewed to ensure the proper data was captured. It was necessary to understand the tracking mechanisms and how to monitor outcomes. An order set was developed and revised to guide the build of the electronic pathway. Staff using the pathway included the Emergency Department, Critical Care Unit and the Telemetry Unit. The pathway was revised several times based on staff feedback to obtain valid and accurate data. Education was key to the success for sustainability in meeting targets and meeting the overall goal of the reduction in mortality for the AMI patient. Monthly reports are generated and sent to stakeholders for review.