It

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Its Safe to Ask www.safetoask.ca
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• Mission of MIPS
• To promote patient safety and quality health care
  
• for Manitobans.

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• Is It Safe to Ask?
• Patients are now asked to become more involved in
  their own care.
• More care is being given at home/in community by
  informal caregivers.
• Health literacy and clear communication are
  critical to patients staying safe!
• Every patient has the right to receive
  healthcare instructions and information in a way
  that they can understand.

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• Is It Safe to Ask?
• 300 studies say that current health-related
  materials far exceed the average reading skills
  of US adults.
• Communication (or a lack of it) was a root cause
  of 70 of sentinel events reported to the Joint
  Commission Resources.

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• What is Its Safe to Ask?
• A provincial patient safety and health literacy
  initiative, led by Manitoba Institute for
  Patient Safety (MIPS).
• Belief Patients and families can play an
  important role in enhancing the safety and
  quality of their health care by becoming active,
  informed members of their care team.

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• Its Safe to Ask
• What is my health problem?
• What do I need to do?
• Why do I need to do this?

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• Its Safe to Ask
• will offer information and tips
• for providers and patients/families to
• enhance clear communication
• make care a more positive experience
• increase health literacy (both patient
  provider)
• help reduce healthcare errors and critical
  incidents

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• What is Health Literacy?
• Health literacy is the degree to which
  individuals can obtain, process, and understand
  the basic health information and services they
  need to make appropriate health decisions
  (Institute of Medicine, 2004).

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• 2003 Manitoba Literacy Facts
• 40 of Manitoba population has low literacy
• 35 of adults have not finished high school
• 80 of seniors have low literacy
• 50 of the people in the LOWEST literacy levels
  do not speak English or French

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• Its Safe to Ask Target Groups
• 1. Public Groups in Manitoba
• Elderly people
• Aboriginal people (urban and rural)
• Low literacy, ESL, new Canadians
• Consumers of disability/mental health services
  
• Children and youth

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• Some of these groups
• Are likely to have lower health literacy than
  needed
• Are more frequent users of the health care system
• Seniors very likely to overestimate their
  literacy skills

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• Its Safe to Ask Target Groups
• 2. Healthcare Providers in Manitoba
• Physicians
• Nurses
• Pharmacists

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• Its Safe to Ask Materials - Phase One
• Poster (images, cartoon, translated into 15
  languages, grade 4 reading level)
• 2. Brochure with med list for patients
  (translated, grade 4)

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• Its Safe to Ask Materials - Phase One
• 3. Provider Information Sheet
• 4. Implementation Sheet for Organizations

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• Brochure, Poster, Provider Info Sheet were
  developed by Steering Committee then pilot tested
  with healthcare providers, patients, community
  members.

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• Steering Committee
• MIPS Analyst
• Manitoba Health Program Planner
• Quality Risk Manager/ Northern Mb Resident
• Patient Safety Officer WRHA
• Aboriginal Services Worker HSC
• Moms Dads
• Director of Services Core Area Community Health
  Ctr
• Literacy Partners of Manitoba
• Childrens Hospital Pharmacist
• 2 Physicians

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• Focus groups and feedback were sought with public
  and provider groups (mail, phone, email,
  in-person, web)
• Feb-October 2006
• MIPS partnered with RHAs, regulatory bodies,
  community health centers, family practice clinics
  and other organizations across the province to
  ensure widespread distribution to targeted
  groups.

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• Endorsers of Its Safe to Ask
• College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba
• College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba
• Manitoba Pharmaceutical Association
• First Nations Inuit Health Branch
• Regional Health Authorities of Manitoba
• Mental Health Literacy Network

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• Endorsers Continued
• Manitoba Health
• St Boniface General Hospital
• Winnipeg Regional Health Authority
• Literacy Partners of Manitoba
• Manitoba Medical Association
• Manitoba Society of Seniors
• Sexuality Education Resource Center

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• Why Its Safe to Ask?
• Driven by results of MIPS Stakeholder
  Consultations 2005
• Culture Change is important
• Patient Safety is a priority in Manitoba
• Fits CCHSA Patient Safety Goals
• Aligned with Safer Healthcare Now!

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• 6 pilot sites
• Klinic Community Health Centre
• Pharmasave Flin Flon
• St Boniface Hospital LDRP ward
• Shoppers Drug Mart Portage Burnell
• Shoppers Drug Mart St B hospital
• Centre de Sante (health centre)

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• Its Safe to Ask Evaluation
• Formal Evaluation Spring 2007

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• Pilot Site Evaluation Lesson 1
• Its about more than putting up posters and
  handing out brochures!

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• Lessons Continued
• Sites need support from champion
• Need to believe this will work!
• Culture change is slow, keep going!
• Script what you will say, and role-play
• Regional and on-site champions
• Live it, or patients will feel it is NOT safe to
  ask.

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What do we do now?
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• Implementation is key.
• Choose one or two people to take the lead at your
  site!

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• Implementation is key
• Coordinator and Champion read through
  Implementation Sheet with your team determine how
  Its Safe to Ask will work best at your site!

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• Provide some education and encouragement, relate
  the initiative to your RHA.
• Engage in a 'role play to help people feel
  comfortable talking about Its Safe to Ask.

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• Try to involve Community Health Developers or
  other health promotion staff to provide ongoing
  support.

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• Coordinators will
• Select 1 site/unit/program
• Learn more about health literacy
• Communicate with the team
• Read and share implementation sheet
• Engage staff at all levels esp. reception!

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• What will MIPS do?
• Distribute materials
• Brochures
• Posters
• Provider Info sheets
• Implementation Sheets
• Support the coordinators
• www.safetoask.ca to download more

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• Begin your planning now
• pick a site!
• identify champions!

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• Phase 2
• Focus on Medication Safety
• Check back to ISTA website for details!!

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• Comments and questions
• Laurie Thompson, Executive Director
• [phone]
• lathompson_at_gov.mb.ca