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The 2006 New Zealand Health Innovation Award Ceremony was held on the 29th June 2006 in Wellington. Of the 25 finalists, six projects were from the Canterbury DHB.
Winners from the Canterbury DHB included:
| Supreme Award Winner | ||
| The SPRINT Protocol for Tight Glycaemic Control in Critically Ill Patients | ||
| Small Innovation Category Award (1-20 people) | Winner | The SPRINT Protocol for Tight Glycaemic Control in Critically Ill Patients |
| Process Improvement Category | ||
| Winner | Mental Health Screening in a Women's Prison | |
| Highly Commended Award | Blood Usage Project - Red Blood Cells Making a Little go a Long Way | |
The remaining
three finalists from Canterbury DHB were:
The SPRINT Protocol for Tight Glycaemic Control in Critically Ill Patients
The SPRINT system involves a simple spinning cardboard wheel that tells a nurse
quickly and accurately how much insulin to administer and how much food to allow
a patient, depending on their body size and latest blood-sugar reading. Thus
estimating a saving of more than 150 lives and $3 million every year in New
Zealand through better controlled diabetes in Intensive Care Patients. The
system was a joint project between Engineering staff and research students at
Canterbury University and the Department of Intensive Care Medicine at
Christchurch Hospital.
Contact: Dr Geoff Shaw
Mental Health
Screening in a Women’s Prison
The ‘Mental Health Screening in a Women’s Prison’ project introduced a new way
of screening for mental health problems and suicidal risks among women
prisoners. Nearly one-in-four of almost 500 women prisoners screened positive
during the one-year trial and were referred for psychiatric assessment. The
project also helped correction staff improve their skills in identifying and
managing prisoners with mental illness. The project also won the
‘Clinical/Diagnostic; Community Based Services’ category at the
2005 Canterbury DHB Quality and Innovation Awards. Contact:
Dr Mark Earthrowl
Blood Usage Project – Red Blood Cells Making a Little go a Long Way
The ‘Blood Usage Project –‘Red Blood Cells Making a Little go a Long Way’
project established a new system for ordering and issuing blood from
Christchurch Hospital's blood bank. The project involved revising the process
for ordering and issuing blood and conducting an education programme with
clinical staff on 'best practice' in blood transfusion practices. The project
saved Canterbury DHB $251,000 in one year and also won the ‘Supreme Award’ and
‘Clinical/Diagnostic; Hospital and Specialist Service’ category at the
2005
Canterbury DHB Quality and Innovation Awards. Contact:
Felicity Woodham
Improving communication efficiency – Vocera paging pilot at Christchurch
Hospital Emergency Department
The paging system trialled in the Emergency Department at Christchurch Hospital
is saving time and money, and increasing staff and patient safety. Staff wear a
small voice-activated pendant that allows hands-free ability to answer calls.
The new paging system also increases patient safety by enabling rapid
communication when necessary. Staff can summon help quickly if a patient's
condition deteriorates. This project also won the 'Systems Improvement'
category at the 2005 Canterbury DHB Quality and
Innovation Awards. Contact: Dr Paul Gee
Heart failure rehabilitation – New Zealand’s first dedicated programme
New Zealand's first dedicated exercise and education programme for people with
chronic heart failure was established by Physiotherapists at Christchurch
Hospital. Chronic heart failure is the end stage of heart disease and is common
among older people. Patients are often breathless and tired and can do little
exercise. After completing the programme, all the participants had maintained or
improved their ability to exercise. This also helped with their ability to
perform everyday activities. This project also won the runner-up award in the
Clinical/Diagnostic; Hospital and Specialist Service category at the
2005
Canterbury DHB Quality and Innovation Awards.
Contact: Sarah Fitzgerald
A system allowing target controlled delivery of volatile anaesthetics
The improved system for administering anaesthetics has saved $240,000 in one
year without reducing patient care and may result in a more rapid recovery for
patients at Christchurch Hospital. By better matching drug doses to needs, the
system can reduce side effects, modify the efforts of surgical stress and enable
patients to recover from an anaesthetic faster.
Contact: Dr Ross Kennedy