The holiday season is upon us! We can hardly believe it, but 2018 is quickly approaching its finale.

As always at this time of year, we find ourselves considering the past year’s events, challenges, and accomplishments, as we strive toward our common goal of fostering a safety culture in BC.

If we were to choose a theme for 2018, feedback and reflection might fit the bill.

We celebrated a number of anniversaries, which naturally encourage reflection on time gone by and changes that have taken place. Also, in addition to our usual practice of inviting feedback anytime and anywhere, we formally reached out for input on items that will help shape BCPSLS in the years to come.

So, we invite you to grab a hot drink, cozy up in a blanket, and reflect on your own accomplishments and challenges as we take a brief look at this past year as it comes to a close.

Anniversaries

BCPSLS celebrated its ten-year anniversary in February, followed by the five-year anniversary of the blog in June. Both events reminded us how far we’ve come as a province in terms of reporting and learning from safety events.

This reflection was brought home to us again this fall when we were invited to share information about our blog with a few hundred participants at the American Society for Health Care Risk Management (ASHRM) Annual Conference in Nashville, Tennessee. The presentation focused on the power of storytelling to engage people, manage change, and create space for social and participative learning.

In addition to these milestones, we wished a happy first anniversary to three important initiatives launched in 2017: BCPSLS re:act, the new Medical Imaging report form, and the provincial trauma mortality review process.

Interested in learning more? Check out BCPSLS, Lower Mainland Medical Imaging, and Trauma Services BC at the BC Patient Safety & Quality Council’s Quality Forum 2019:

• Rapid Fire session on February 28, 1:30 – 2:30 p.m.: Developing a clearer image of patient safety events involving medical imaging procedures
• Storyboard presentation February 27-28: New trauma mortality review process offers province-wide opportunities for improvement

Stakeholder input

Two important opportunities for feedback arose this year and we are grateful to so many of you who shared your thoughts and ideas with us.

In the spring we reached out to readers far and wide to gather input about our blog, BCPSLS Central. The survey results let us know that our stories and podcasts are helping people learn more about patient safety in BC. We also learned that there were opportunities to improve the site’s navigation and educational resources. We set to work incorporating this feedback and hope you enjoy the blog’s new look, resources, and search mechanism. We also added a subscribe option so our readers will never miss a blog story!

BCPSLS has also been revisiting its long-term goals and directions. Over the past year we have been engaging with stakeholders to gather feedback, look to the future, and review BCPSLS’s performance in relation to its 2014-2018 strategic plan. After further consultation in the next few months, we look forward to sharing our 2019-2023 strategic plan with you in the new year.

BCPSLS Central Office team and BCPSLS Coordinators

Happy New Year!

Thank you, again, for your support, passion, and ongoing commitment to patient safety. All the best to you and yours this holiday season from all of us at BCPSLS Central Office!