You can support the best care experiences, close to home.
For more than a century, St. Joe’s has never backed down from the challenge of doing better for patients.
From the bold vision of the Sisters of St. Joseph who founded the hospital in 1920, to the clinicians, researchers, and staff who continue to push boundaries today, innovation has always been part of our DNA. When our community’s needs change, St. Joe’s responds — finding new ways to deliver safer, smarter, and more compassionate care. That spirit of continuous improvement lives on today through the Barrett Centre for Quality Improvement (BCQI), where teams come together to test ideas, solve complex problems, and transform how care is delivered.
Through BCQI, interdisciplinary teams are leading focused quality improvement projects that address real-world challenges impacting patients every day. As part of the QI Fellowship program, participants design and complete practical tests of change within their first six months—turning ideas into measurable impact.
This transformative investment positions St. Joe’s as a leading centre for quality improvement in Canada.
At its core, BCQI is working to embed quality improvement throughout the hospital—fostering a culture of continuous learning, encouraging innovation, and empowering teams to collaborate on solutions that improve patient outcomes and experience, while also supporting the well-being of our health care teams and staff.
The following projects were identified for the first QI Fellowship cohort:
Project 1: Reducing Discharge Delays
Donor-funded innovation is helping patients get home sooner.
Goals: Reduce length of stay (LOS) and improve documentation of discharge delays
Discharge delays can add unnecessary days to a patient’s hospital stay—creating stress for families and increasing exposure to hospital-related risks.
Through BCQI, teams in In-Patient Medicine are identifying discharge barriers earlier and improving coordination across care teams. By strengthening documentation and streamlining processes, they are reducing length of stay while ensuring safe, timely transitions home.
The impact is immediate and practical: shorter hospital stays, safer recovery, and smoother discharge planning for patients and families.
Project 2: Strengthening After Visit Summaries (AVS)
Donor- funded innovation is helping patients go home with clarity.
Goals: Improve the discharge experience and provide reliable After Visit Summaries
Leaving the hospital is a critical moment in a patient’s care journey—but it’s often when information feels overwhelming or unclear.
Through BCQI, teams in Oncology and Orthopaedics are strengthening After Visit Summaries (AVS) to ensure patients and caregivers receive clear, consistent, and reliable discharge information. By improving the clarity and reliability of these summaries, the team is enhancing understanding and supporting safer transitions home.
The impact is immediate and practical: patients leave with greater clarity, caregivers feel more confident, and recovery at home becomes safer and less stressful.
Project 3: Streamlining OR Turnover
Donor-funded innovation is smoothing patient access to surgery.
Goal: Reduce turnover time between surgeries
Every minute counts in the operating room. Delays between surgeries can extend patient wait times and create stress for patients and families. Through BCQI, the largest donor-funded quality improvement initiative in Canada, our teams are streamlining OR turnover to ensure patients move into surgery efficiently and safely.
The impact is immediate and practical: safer procedures and a smoother overall hospital experience for patients and their families.
Project 4: Reducing ICU Pressure Injuries
Donor-funded innovation is helping reduce the risk of pressure-injuries through better care and teamwork.
Goals: Decrease Hospital Acquired Pressure Injuries (HAPIs) and improve documentation and interdisciplinary team collaboration
ICU patients are at risk of pressure injuries, which can cause pain, infection, and slow recovery. Through BCQI, our teams are reducing this risk by improving documentation and strengthening interdisciplinary collaboration across the ICU.
The impact is immediate and practical: fewer injuries, safer ICU care, and better coordination across the care team, enhancing the patient experience at every step.
Project 5: Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC)
Donor-funded innovation is supporting safer, healing hospital stays.
Goals: Decrease nosocomial infections and improve audit scores for room cleaning
Infections during a hospital stay can slow recovery and delay discharge. Through a donor-funded quality improvement initiative our teams are standardizing cleaning practices to create a safe and healing environment, supporting optimal healing.
The impact is immediate and practical: patients can recover more effectively.
Driving Innovation and Building Extraordinary at St. Joe’s
Guided by a focus on quality improvement, The Barrett Centre for Quality Improvement is transforming patient care by turning innovative ideas into practical solutions that make a measurable difference.
Through projects that reduce discharge delays, enhance after-visit summaries, streamline operating room turnover, prevent ICU pressure injuries, improve early recognition of patient deterioration, and strengthen infection prevention, the BCQI is improving safety, efficiency, and patient outcomes across the hospital.
These initiatives empower healthcare teams to collaborate, test new approaches, and implement solutions that directly enhance the patient experience. Together, they illustrate how innovation and teamwork are helping St. Joe’s build extraordinary by creating safer, more efficient care, and setting new standards for excellence across our community.
