A York University graduate student led a project at Sinai Health System that is the first of its kind to be implemented in Canada.
Reshma Prashad, a student in the Faculty of Health’s Health Informatics program, led a project to implement infusion data flow from a pump to an electronic health record (EHR) in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The project enhances the quality of data used for timely clinical decision-making in a department that provides care for approximately 1,000 preterm babies per year.
The project, which launched on Nov. 27, decreases the potential for documentation errors that may contribute to patient safety risks. It will support faster clinical decision-making, and promote greater pharmacy and nursing communication and collaboration in the management of infusions.
Prashad successfully implemented the program in three months, and says previous attempts were unsuccessful for a period of more than five years.
She attributes her success to the great foundation and preparation offered through the Health Informatics program at York University.
“I would like to convey (to York Health Studies students) that it is still possible to make significant and meaningful contributions to the field if they (the students) take the time and effort needed to learn the important, fundamental concepts,” she said.
Prashad said she is extremely grateful for the opportunity that Sinai Health System provided her to lead this project to successful completion, in collaboration with the technical and clinical teams.
“It is a very exciting project for the NICU that will help to reduce redundancies in charting and potentially decrease errors,” said Elena Nikolsky, nursing unit administrator of the NICU. “It will also help to increase the safety of our infants by providing the most up-to-date information to support timely decision-making regarding patient status.”