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Red Deer hospital earns international recognition

American College of Surgeons laud hospital’s surgical program
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Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre was recognized for its quality of care by the American College of Surgeons. (File photo by Advocate staff)

Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre was recognized by the American College of Surgeons for its quality of care and positive results when it came to its surgical patients and program in 2020.

The Alberta Health Services (AHS) facility was among 90 hospitals that participated in the college’s National Surgical Quality Improvement Program to achieve praiseworthy outcomes for surgical patient care last year.

Participating sites are required to track the outcomes of inpatient and outpatient surgical procedures. They must also collect data assessing patient safety, which is used to direct improvement in the quality of surgical care.

“It is very rewarding for our hospital and our teams to be commended for the exemplary work they do every day,” said Sharon Bilanski, director of surgical services for AHS Central Zone, in a statement.

“We are proud our efforts are recognized as equivalent to a select group of international peers, and we know that will also be gratifying news for the patients and families we support.”

Hospitals were scored through surgical outcomes related to mortality, unplanned intubation, on ventilator greater than 48 hours, renal failure, cardiac incidents, respiratory (pneumonia), surgical site infections and urinary tract infections.

“As much as we are grateful to be acknowledged for our surgical team’s professional achievements and pursuit of excellence, we are most grateful that our patients and their loved ones benefit from the positive outcomes that result,” said Dr. Cinzia Gaudelli, perioperative medical lead for AHS Central Zone.

The goals of the quality improvement program are to reduce infection, illness or death related to a surgical procedure, and to provide a foundation for surgeons to apply best scientific evidence to the practice of surgery. The program is used in nearly 850 adult and pediatric hospitals around the world.

“The surgical program in Red Deer is a very busy one with over 10,500 surgeries per year,” said Jill Robert, senior provincial director of the Surgery and Bone & Joint Health Strategic Clinical Network, which helped implement the quality program in Alberta.

“Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre has achieved this status for four of the past five years, which requires strong leadership, teamwork, and a culture for quality improvement that serves as an example for others.”

Medicine Hat Regional Hospital was the other AHS facility to earn recognition for 2020.

The American College of Surgeons is a scientific and educational organization of surgeons founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical practice and to improve the care of the surgical patient.



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