Making the system work | 08 - 09 Hospital and Research Report | About Us | Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital

Making the system work

Making it easier for children and families to obtain services by partnering with other players in the health system is a strategic priority for Bloorview.

2008 was a banner year for partnerships and collaboration that improved the speed at which children and youth received inpatient rehabilitation care and services for children diagnosed with autism.

Speeding transition to inpatient rehab

Problem: Children with brain injuries who were ready to be transferred to Bloorview for inpatient rehab spent on average nine days more than needed in SickKids’ trauma unit in 2006. A cumbersome Bloorview referral form was identified as the challenge, causing 273 medically-unnecessary days.

Partnership: Managers and frontline staff at Bloorview and SickKids worked together to simplify and improve the referral process, as part of the Ontario Health Ministry’s Flo Collaborative.

Solution: A new, concise two-page referral form. What originally took four people three days to complete can now be filled out by one person in an hour. An up-to-date clinical overview is sent 48 hours before transfer. Staff agreed on common definitions of “medicallystable and rehab-ready.” Visual icons that describe steps in the referral process were developed and are posted beside the child’s name on an information board at SickKids. This helps staff identify what stage the child is at and minimizes duplication of tasks.

Impact: Unnecessary days were cut from nine to three, and incomplete referral forms from 50 per cent to less than five per cent. Bloorview is using the process-improvement knowledge it gained to improve referral practices on other units.

Linking families to autism services

Problem: Over 100 children are diagnosed with autism at Bloorview each year. For ongoing treatment, we refer families to agencies like the Geneva Centre for Autism. In 2006-07, only 63 per cent of the families diagnosed successfully made the transition. Community services for autism are complicated and can be difficult for families to access.

Partnership: Bloorview and the Geneva Centre partnered to ensure families make the transition from one organization to the other and get the services their children need.

Solution: A new social work position was created to ensure families are successfully bridged from Bloorview to the Geneva Centre. The social worker meets with parents to discuss their goals, initiates the referral, explains services available at Geneva and elsewhere in the community, and provides emotional support.

Impact: In 2007-08, 86 per cent of children diagnosed with autism at Bloorview were bridged to the Geneva Centre. In 2008-09 it was 87 per cent. The Impact on Family Scale – which measures the impact of a child’s disability on the family – shows an overall decrease in family stress following transfer to the Geneva Centre.

Last updated: November 17 2010

150 Kilgour Road, Toronto Ontario Canada M4G 1R8

Telephone: 416 425 6220 Toll Free: 800 363 2440

A teaching hospital fully affiliated with the University of Toronto