July 2021 Update
Connected Care on The Go! is a mobile solution that innovates to enable rapid delivery of scarce and specialized paediatric training supplies straight into the hands of remote learners. Home care nurses and children/families receive delivery of customized packages of resources needed to practice their skills while being coached virtually by a Connected Care Resource Nurse. Funded in winter 2021 by RNFOO, this project tests Connected Care on the Go! in 10-12 diverse knowledge-users in home and community care from across the Greater Toronto Area.
To date, 8 tests have been conducted, deliveries completed spanning more than 60 km from SickKids and across knowledge users from a community hospital, paediatric hospice, nursing agency and directly to 3 family caregivers of children with medical complexity. In addition, 31 learners have participated in sessions co-facilitated by Connected Care and ‘Go Boxes’ and have included materials to support learning for CVADs, Enteral tubes and Tracheostomies. A minimum of 6 more tests of change are planned.
We are pleased with the project’s success to date. Evaluation is concurrent with implementation. At this point, we anticipate meeting the project’s timelines.
About Connected Care on the Go!
Delivering the learning into hands of paediatric home care nurses
A timely and important initiative, Connected Care On The Go is aimed at bringing care to a vulnerable group during these times of upheaval and isolation. Targeting Home Care Nurses as well as directly meeting the needs of at home patients, Connected Care On The Go could dramatically improve the lives of many.
Background
The number of Children with Medical Complexity (CMC) who depend on medical technology (e.g. mechanical ventilators, vascular access devices) and transition from hospital to home, is rapidly on the rise. Access to paediatric home care nurses possessing the requisite competencies to care for CMC is a longstanding challenge, accentuated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Opportunity
Connected Care, located at SickKids, partners to build capacity and bridge transitions from hospital to home for CMC, their families and home care providers. In recent months, Connected Care has shifted almost exclusively from in-person service delivery to virtual support for home care nurses’ education and practice. Learner assessments signal that home care nurses greatly miss and need to practice their hands-on skills, an opportunity lost with the shift to virtual modes of service delivery.
Innovation
Connected Care on the Go! is a mobile solution that innovates to enable rapid delivery of scarce and specialized paediatric training supplies straight into the hands of remote learners. Home care nurses and children/families will select from a menu to receive delivery of customized packages include teaching aids, checklists and task trainers (e.g. teaching dolls) needed to practice their skills while being coached virtually by a Connected Care Resource Nurse available on demand 24/7.
Next Steps
Funding received from RNFOO will support testing of Connected Care on the Go! Collaboration with family advisors and VHA Home Healthcare will enable the conduct of needs assessments and pinpoint demand for the service. This information will inform procurement of equipment, curriculum development and a sustainable operational model for service delivery. Evaluation will include the collection of mixed data sources to inform patient, provider and system level experiences and outcomes with testing the innovation.
About the Team
SickKids/VHA Award Amount: $16,300
Krista Keilty is the Associate Chief Interprofessional Practice-Connected Care and System Integration at SickKids. In this position, Krista leverages her practice, research and leadership experience to transform hospital and system-wide initiatives towards integrating care delivery and Child & Family-Centred Care across the paediatric health system.
Throughout her nursing career Krista has held diverse positions across sectors. At SickKids, Krista has held roles as Staff Nurse, Nurse Educator and Paediatric Nurse Practitioner. She has also held roles in home care as a Staff Nurse, Advanced Practice Leader and Operations Manager. In academia, Krista has held the Interim Director of the Nurse Practitioner Program and continues to hold an adjunct appointment with The University of Toronto, Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing.
Krista completed her undergraduate nursing degree at the University of New Brunswick, her Master of Nursing at The University of Toronto and a Post-Master Acute-Chronic Paediatric Nurse Practitioner Program at The University of Pennsylvania. Krista has also completed a PhD and post-doctoral studies at The University of Toronto. She currently holds an active appointment with the SickKids Research Institute. Krista’s program of research and quality improvement target improved experiences and outcomes, across the continuum of care, for family caregivers of children who are medically complex and technology dependent.
Stephanie Chu started her nursing career at SickKids in 2004 on the Blood and Marrow Transplant unit. She completed her undergraduate nursing degree at University of Ottawa and her graduate degree at University of Toronto with a focus on nursing administration. Over the years, she has taken on various roles throughout the organization in advanced practice, clinical technology and education. Her experiences at SickKids have provided her the opportunity to be involved in many hospital-wide projects and programs including the implementation of smart pumps, the development of an online paediatric assessment course and the development of an innovative undergraduate nursing program at SickKids. Currently, she is the Education & Quality Lead for Connected Care developing and implementing standardized, competency-based education programs for family caregivers and community providers to support transitions for children with medical complexity and technology dependence from hospital to home and community care.
Matt Wong is a registered nurse who started his nursing career at the inpatient oncology ward at SickKids. Following graduate school and a brief period working in health services outcome research, Matt found himself drawn to the increasingly complex homecare sector. He started with VHA Home Healthcare in 2016 in the capacity of a nursing clinical educator, moving into progressive leadership positions such as professional practice and quality improvement/patient safety specialist roles. To date, Matt has been involved in various practice improvements and quality assurance projects designed to further integrate evidenced-based guidelines and best practices at the point-of-care. He currently serves VHA Home Healthcare as their Manager of Professional Practice, Infection Prevention and Control Lead, and RNAO BPSO Lead.
Sandra McKay is the Director of Research at VHA Home Healthcare and the architect responsible for creating and driving VHA’s research strategy and portfolio. In this role, Sandra has built a broad network of external collaborations with academic, health and industry partners. She has extensive experience studying transitions in care, patient & provider safety and health system integration to improve the quality, safety and experience of care delivered in the home. Sandra has held a university appointment in the Department of Physical Therapy at the University of Toronto since 2014. She holds a PhD in Kinesiology and Exercise Science from the University of Michigan and an MBA from the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management.
