Establishing a Culture of High-Value Healthcare within the McGill University Health Centre Department of Medicine: a Focus on Evidence-based Practices in COVID Care

The MUHC is a major health network affiliated with McGill University, one of the most respected medical institutions in Canada. The DOM is entering its fifth year of operations and is responsible for leading research projects in the hospital related to patient safety and improving the quality of care. Most recently, a major focus has been placed on COVID-19 patient care. Our proposed program will focus on developing "high-value" healthcare projects, supported by the HSIF Fellow, who has extensive research training. The fellow will help design new projects and expand existing projects. Our goal is to promote and embed a culture of standardized, high-quality care for medical patients. We will accomplish this with technological solutions (for example e-learning modules) and strengthening research activities at the MUHC (encouraging and supporting scientific publications). We will focus on improving health outcomes for MUHC patients with COVID using digital solutions. For clinicians caring for patients with COVID, we will develop effective in-job training and offer a formal education program with modules on patient safety, quality improvement, and the appropriate use of tests and treatments. These will be delivered to doctors and nurses effectively using information technology and will be founded in scientific evidence. Our program is designed to achieve our objectives in three steps: 1) the assessment phase- a "needs" assessment; 2) the refinement, implementation, and development of the solution phase; and 3) the monitoring, evaluation, and strengthening phase. Our approach will adopt an agile and innovative strategy: for each project, we will address the key pillars of high-value healthcare: patient safety, quality of care, and optimal use of resources; digital technologies; the patient experience; and ensuring evidence-based practice. By working together with the HSIF Fellow, our institution can have a greater impact on the safe and effective care of our patients.