January 25, 2016 (Beijing) – The Rick Hansen Institute (RHI), Peking University Third Hospital (PUTH) and Accreditation Canada International (ACI) today embark on a unique opportunity to combine best practices to improve the lives of those living with spinal cord injury (SCI) in Canada and China.
SCI is a highly complex, chronic condition that requires individualized health care approaches. Health care interventions delivered in the hours, days and weeks following spinal cord injury have life-long impacts.
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Dr. Brian Wheelock with President Jie Qiao at the opening remarks on January 25.
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 Dr. Vanessa Noonan with President Jie Qiao. |
Dr. Vanessa Noonan (RHI) and Dr. Brian Wheelock (ACI) will join Drs. Mouwang Zhou and Nan Liu of the PUTH Department of Rehabilitation and Dr. Fang Zhou of the PUTH Department of Trauma, to present education sessions on SCI standards of excellence to PUTH staff. Accreditation Canada's Qmentum International™ accreditation standards will be used to assess how existing practices at the PUTH SCI acute care and rehabilitation sites compare to best practice standards.
Incorporating these standards at PUTH will contribute to the health and well-being of the more than 60,000 individuals who sustain a spinal cord injury in China annually. These standards will also be used to assess the readiness and requirements for implementing best practice standards in other international healthcare facilities, providing the potential for individuals throughout the world to receive the same optimized and standardized care.
"It is a privilege to work with PUTH and RHI on this unique project to support PUTH in achieving better and safer care for spinal cord injury patients," said Sébastien Audette, CEO of Accreditation Canada International. "This peer-review process using ISQua-accredited standards allows organizations like PUTH to drive change that will improve critical interventions for successful diagnosis and treatment of spinal cord injuries."
Jie Qiao, President of the Peking University Third Hospital said: "I am happy to see the implementation of the collaborative agreement between RHI, ACI and PUTH that was signed in 2014 during the 4th Canada-China Policy Dialogue on Health. This international collaboration benefits people with spinal cord injury in the two countries as well as clinicians and researchers, who can learn from one another."
The external assessment of acute care and rehabilitation departments by ACI is a first step towards a more in-depth evaluation of PUTH facilities. PUTH will distinguish itself as the first hospital outside Canada to use Accreditation Canada's Qmentum Spinal Cord Injury Standards, which were developed in partnership with RHI.
"I am so pleased to continue our collaboration with PUTH and ACI. International collaboration is vital to identify and validate the most promising discoveries, accelerate the translation of those discoveries into clinical practice and ultimately, improve the lives of those living with spinal cord injury throughout the world. Working with PUTH and ACI, we are one step closer to realizing our goals," said Bill Barrable, CEO of the Rick Hansen Institute.
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Peking University Third Hospital (PUTH) is one of Beijing's largest hospitals, with 1,738 beds and 2,631 staff. It is a modern and comprehensive hospital with integrated medical services, teaching, research, and prevention initiatives. The PUTH Spinal Surgery Department is the strongest in mainland China.
Accreditation Canada International (ACI) is an independent, not-for-profit organization that fosters ongoing quality improvement through evidence-based standards and a rigorous external peer review. ACI delivers a range of leading edge programs and services to improve the quality of health services and patient safety.
Rick Hansen Institute (RHI) is a Canadian-based not-for-profit organization committed to accelerating the translation of discoveries and best practices into improved treatments for people with spinal cord injuries.
About the collaboration
PUTH, RHI and ACI have a long-standing relationship based on PUTH serving as one of the first international pilot sites of the Rick Hansen SCI Registry – a database of individuals with traumatic spinal cord injury. RHI is working to support the implementation of SCI standards through Accreditation Canada's Qmentum program at its affiliated Canadian Registry sites.
For more information:
Accreditation Canada
Geneviève Brisson, , 613.738.3800, x. 410
Peking University Third Hospital
Nan Liu, , 86.10.8226.6688
Rick Hansen Institute
Carey Lee, , 604.827.2426