Kids in transition: the rehab experience

• Published in: Healthcare quarterly (Toronto, Ont.) Vol. 14 Spec No 3; p. 77
• Main Authors: Bruce-Barrett, Cindy, Hodinott, Alastair, Manicat-Emo, Arbelle, Flaming, Tonya, Macgregor, Daune, Hogan, Iris, Carew, Chris, Cox, Sandi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Canada 2011
• Subjects: Cooperative Behavior; Health Services Accessibility; Hospitals, Pediatric; Humans; Models, Organizational; Ontario; Organizational Case Studies; Patient Transfer - organization & administration; Patient Transfer - standards; Rehabilitation Centers; Ontario
• ISSN: 1710-2774
• DOI: 10.12927/hcq.2011.22581

Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital (formerly Bloorview Kids Rehab) is Canada's largest teaching hospital for pediatric rehabilitation and the only in-patient pediatric rehabilitation centre in Ontario. SickKids is a quaternary-level academic health sciences centre. The acute care neuroscience and trauma patient population at SickKids represents the largest volume of transitioning clients between the two organizations. For years, the number of medically unnecessary days associated with patients awaiting transfer from SickKids to Holland Bloorview for off-site rehabilitation was consistently driven by inefficient processes, multiple handovers, duplicitous efforts, fragmented communication and a lack of timely or complete referral information. Recognizing this situation as a threat to access, as well as a significant risk to patient health outcomes, SickKids and Holland Bloorview embarked on an exciting partnership (Kids in Transition: The Rehab Experience) as part of a larger Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care-funded initiative, the Flo Collaborative.