Sunnybrook recognized for “meritorious outcomes” for surgical patient care in 2017

Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre has been recognized by the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) as one of 83 hospitals from around the world that have achieved meritorious outcomes for surgical patient care in 2017. This is the second year in a row that Sunnybrook has received this honour.

“It’s really an outstanding achievement in the surgical community, and we are so proud to be among the other hospitals to receive this prestigious distinction,” says Dr. Avery Nathens, Surgeon in Chief, Sunnybrook.

To win ACS NSQIP recognition, Sunnybrook is required to track the outcomes of inpatient and outpatient surgical procedures and collect data that assesses patient safety and can be used to direct improvement in the quality of surgical care.

Sunnybrook achieved meritorious outcomes in eight clinical areas: mortality, unplanned intubation, ventilator for longer than 48 hours, renal failure, cardiac incidents, pneumonia, surgical site infections, and urinary tract infections.

“This award really speaks to the Sunnybrook team’s consistent application of best patient care practices,” says Nathens. “From admission to discharge, we are dedicated to achieving the very best outcomes for our patients.”

The ACS NSQIP recognition program commends a select group of hospitals for achieving a meritorious composite score in either an “All Cases” category or a category that includes only “High Risk” cases. Sunnybrook has been recognized on both the “All Cases” and “High Risk” Meritorious lists.

“This NSQIP program enables us to look at data and trends around successful procedures at our hospital and other hospitals, which is a very systematic approach to delivering quality care,” says Nathens. “It helps us recognize what works, as well as develop and enhance interventions that continue to improve patient care.”

ACS NSQIP is the only nationally validated quality improvement program that measures and enhances the care of surgical patients. The goal of ACS NSQIP is to reduce infection, illness, and deaths related to surgical procedure. ACS NSQIP is a major program of the American College of Surgeons and is currently used in nearly 850 adult and pediatric hospitals.