2021 Award Recipients – Quality & Innovation Awards

Winner

Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre: Oncology Symptom Management Clinic

Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre is improving access to palliative services for people with a palliative cancer diagnosis in in the North Simcoe Muskoka region.

In partnership with the Hospice Simcoe with a full time palliative registered nurse and with support of 10 community-based practitioners, the Oncology Symptom Management Clinic provides physical and psychological care close to home, virtually, and in the patients’ home when required. It efficiently and effectively responds to fill gaps in palliative care, reducing emergency department visits, decreasing urgent pain management calls to oncology triage line, avoiding admissions and managing care from home.

Team Members: Martha Cope, Ben McIsaac

Video to showcase Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre initiative - Oncology Symptom Management Clinic

Honourable Mention

William Osler Health System: Biomarker Testing in Community Practice

William Osler Health System is providing an efficient and cost-effective approach to comprehensive molecular profiling, or next-generation sequencing, for people with cancer in Brampton and North Etobicoke.

Community hospitals tend to rely on large academic hospitals for molecular profiling, which slows the diagnostic process. This inequitable access to care often leads to patients starting traditional therapy (such as radiation or chemotherapy) with harsh unnecessary side effects. With in-house biomarker testing, cancer diagnosis is available in days instead of weeks. This fast turn-around time allows for appropriate treatment options earlier in the care journey. In many cases, this means a less invasive therapy option, shorter recovery time and quicker time to remission, leading to better patient outcomes.

Team Members: Dr. Brandon Sheffield, Dr. Parneet Cheema, Aimee Langan, Aimee Beattie, Andrea Beharry, Lyndsey Sousa, Erica Bagadiong, Cheryl Suarez, Madhur Trivedi, Joanne Diep

Video to showcase William Osler Health System initiative – Biomarker Testing in Community Practice

Winner

St. Michael’s Hospital: Older Adults Surgery and Oncology Program (OSOP) PRIME Initiative

St. Michael’s Hospital is overcoming surgical care gaps in older adults undergoing cancer surgery by integrating geriatric expertise into perioperative care.

The Older Adults Surgery and Oncology Program uses an innovative strategy, called PRIME, for comprehensive geriatric surgical oncology care. PRIME (Proactive, Realigned, Informed, Multidisciplinary, Empowered) integrates multifaceted elements of perioperative care adapted to the needs of older adults.

Before PRIME, management of older adults undergoing cancer surgery was reactive, and did not address the complexity of their health and surgical cancer care. This approach strategically integrates multiple stakeholders and disciplines to personalize care for older adults.

Team Members: Dr. Tyler Chesney, Dr. Marisa Louridas, Danielle Zvezdonkin, Dr. Camilla Wong

Video to showcase St. Michael’s Hospital initiative – Older Adults Surgery and Oncology Program PRIME Initiative

Honourable Mention

Ottawa Hospital Research Institute: REthinking Clinical Trials (REaCT) Program

The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute is increasing access to clinical trials for people with cancer, and improving evidence-based care.

Current clinical trials process tends to be cumbersome and expensive, with most studies focusing on either the development of new agents or new indications for established agents. The REthinking Clinical Trials program is different because it compares established standard-of-care in each modality – surgical, medical, radiation, imaging, supportive care and palliative interventions – to provide people with evidence-based care. This results in significant cost savings to both patients and the healthcare system.

Team Members: Mark Clemons, Lisa Vandermeer, Carol Stober, Marta Sienkiewicz, Deanna Saunders, Michelle Liu, Fiona MacDonald, Gail Larocque, Brian Hutton and Kednapa Thavorn

Video to showcase The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute initiative – REthinking Clinical Trials Program

Honourable Mention

The Ottawa Hospital Cancer Program: Establishing a “Cancer Program” in Nunavut Improving System Capacity Through Collaboration and Education

The Ottawa Hospital Cancer Program, in collaboration with the Qikiqtani General Hospital and the Government of Nunavut, is building capacity in Nunavut (Qikiqtani Region) by providing better support for cancer patients and families navigating the healthcare system.

Before the program, Inuit patients from the Qikiqtani Region would travel over 3,000 kilometers to Ottawa to get cancer care. This meant being away from their community, culture, family and support system, and accompanied by only one family member or friend. The “Cancer Program” in Nunavut is enabling healthcare providers in Ottawa and Iqaluit to collaborate on initiatives to improve healthcare system navigation and provide care closer to home.

Team Members: Dr. Tim Asmis, Gwen Barton, Trista Bennett, Mackenzie Daybutch, Dr. Patty DeMaio, Dr. Francois de Wet, Danielle Dorschner, Dr. Treena Greene, Jenna Jenkins, Gabrielle Jodouin, Donna Mulvey, Jennifer Newton, Leslee Nizman, Dennis Garvin, Carolyn Roberts, Christine Weatherston

Video to showcase The Ottawa Hospital Cancer Program initiative – Establishing a “Cancer Program” in Nunavut: Improving System Capacity Through Collaboration and Education

Winner

Princess Margaret Cancer Centre: Virtual Nurse-Led COVID-19 Assessment and Care Coordination Clinic

Princess Margaret Cancer Centre is providing proactive symptom management and care coordination for COVID-19 positive cancer patients using a standard assessment triage tool and assignment.

Before the clinic, ambulatory cancer patients were required to self-identify COVID-19 or cancer symptoms, and self-report the symptoms to various public health or hospital telephone triage lines. This resulted in fragmented care for patients, who did not necessarily receive symptom management support specific to cancer patients with COVID-19. The Virtual Nurse-Led COVID-19 Assessment and Care Coordination Clinic uses a standard assessment algorithm to provide patients with proactive support for symptom management and care coordination from a specialized oncology nurse and a designated oncologist.

By closely monitoring the high-risk population and minimizing the traffic and exposure for other patients and healthcare workers, the clinic is ensuring safe, timely and accurate care for COVID-19 positive cancer patients.

Team Members: Michelle Mackay, Simonne Simon, Dr. Lesley Moody, Kelsey Houston, Dr. Rotstein Coleman, Dr. John Waldron, Dr. Richard Tsang

Video to showcase Princess Margaret Cancer Centre initiative – Virtual Nurse-Led COVID-19 Assessment and Care Coordination Clinic

Honourable Mention

Health Sciences North: A Novel Electronic System for Real-Time Physically-Distanced Image Guided Radiation Therapy for Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy Treatments Both Within and Across Regional Cancer Centres

Health Sciences North is ensuring physical distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic by transforming their approach to healthcare procedures requiring collaboration in close physical proximity to a new approach based on electronic telecommunication.

The remote-viewing technology during stereotactic ablative radiotherapy treatments allows both radiation oncologists and physicists to provide real-time support for image-guidance procedures while maintaining physical distance. It lowers the risk of COVID-19 virus transmission within the radiation oncology program, improves time management for all healthcare providers, and reduces wait times for the patient and the treating therapist.

Team Members: Daniel Provost, Michael Schwendener, Andrew Pearce, members of the Radiation Treatment Program and Information Technology Teams

Video to showcase Health Sciences North initiative – Physically-distanced Image Guided Radiation Therapy for SABR treatments