Oregon IHI Network

Acumentra Health and six partners joined forces as the Oregon IHI Network to promote and support the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s 5 Million Lives campaign in the state. The campaign challenged hospitals across the nation to adopt changes in care that save lives and reduce patient injuries. In Oregon, 42 hospitals participated. The campaign officially ended in December 2008.

5 Million Lives campaign interventions

The campaign promoted 12 changes in care, including several interventions that dovetail with Medicare-funded hospital safety and quality initiatives.

• Deploy Rapid Response Teams at the first sign of patient decline
• Deliver reliable, evidence-based care for acute myocardial infarction to prevent deaths from heart attack
• Prevent adverse drug events (ADEs) by implementing medication reconciliation
• Prevent central line infections by implementing a series of interdependent, scientifically grounded steps
• Prevent surgical site infections by reliably delivering the correct perioperative antibiotics at the proper time
• Prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) by implementing a series of interdependent, scientifically grounded steps
• Prevent harm from high-alert medications starting with a focus on anticoagulants, sedatives, narcotics, and insulin
• Reduce surgical complications by reliably implementing all of the changes recommended by SCIP, the Surgical Care Improvement Project (www.medqic.org/scip)
• Prevent pressure ulcers by reliably using science-based guidelines for their prevention
  NEW: Transitional Care & Pressure Ulcers Project Toolkit from the Advancing Excellence and Oregon IHI Network Joint Committee
• Reduce methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection by reliably implementing scientifically proven infection control practices
• Deliver reliable, evidence-based care for congestive heart failure to avoid readmissions
• Get boards on board by defining and spreading the best-known leveraged processes for hospital boards of directors, so that they become far more effective in accelerating organizational progress toward safe care

Visit the IHI website for information about activities at participating hospitals.

WHO Surgical Safety Checklist

In December 2008, IHI challenged all U.S. hospitals to test the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist (SSC) by April 1, 2009. Research has shown the SSC to be an effective intervention that reduces harm to patients; the challenge was to eliminate the typical 17-year lag for putting research into practice.

The Oregon IHI Network disseminated copies of the WHO checklist and assisted hospitals in piloting and implementation. As of August 2010, 82% of Oregon hospitals that perform surgical procedures were using the checklist. The Network has developed a revised Oregon checklist with mandatory and customizable components, based on hospitals' feedback.

Surgical Safety Checklist background and effectiveness (IHI website)
Download the Oregon checklist (PDF)
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