Quality and Patient Safety  > Commitment to Quality  > Guiding Principles 

Guiding Principles

The following principles guide and inform quality improvement policy and decisions:

FOR OUR PATIENTS

  • Sustain and nurture a patient-centered approach to care which demonstrates respect for all participants in the treatment continuum.
  • Engage the patient as an integral member of the care team.
  • Promote effective communication with patients and families.
  • Show respect for patient's rights, beliefs, values, expectations and attitudes about health, illness, health care and quality of life.
  • Provide information to patients and their families about health care outcomes.

FOR OUR STAFF AND PHYSICIANS

  • Foster a highly accountable culture that encourages the reporting of occurrences.
  • Encourage and reward proactive, collaborative efforts that emphasize prevention and positive outcomes. 

FOR OUR ORGANIZATION

  • Sustain a proactive quality improvement system for promptly identifying and reporting all occurrences.
  • Create a learning culture.
  • Use lessons learned to modify systems and to prevent occurrences and enhance patient safety.
  • Implement outcome-oriented, evidence-based strategies.