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Halton Healthcare Receives International Recognition for Surgical Patient Care

January 10, 2024

OAKVILLE, ON - Halton Healthcare’s Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital (OTMH) has been recognized by the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) for achieving “Meritorious” status for surgical patient care in 2022. 

As a participant in the ACS NSQIP, Halton Healthcare tracks the outcomes of surgical procedures at OTMH and collects data to inform improvements in the quality of surgical care. The goal of the program is to reduce infection, illness or death related to surgical procedures and provide a foundation for surgeons to apply the best scientific evidence to the practice of surgery.

“Using best practices learned from our fellow NSQIP sites and from ongoing literature reviews we continue to refine our surgical techniques. Quality improvement is a continuous journey. Collecting this data and measuring our progress helps identify specific areas to focus our improvement efforts. Fewer complications means a faster discharge home and a return to quality of life for our patients,” says Dr. Duncan Rozario, Chief of Surgery at OTMH. 

The hospital has been acknowledged in the “All Cases” category.  The outcomes measured by OTMH as part of the NSQIP include surgical site infections, urinary tract infections, pneumonia, blood clots, readmission and death. These outcomes after surgery are captured during the hospital stay and through confidential phone calls to patients after their procedure.

“Congratulations to the OTMH surgical team for receiving this much deserved recognition. The entire team has worked hard to foster a culture of surgical excellence. Halton Healthcare’s ongoing pursuit of quality and dedication to continuously improving patient care has resulted in the hospital receiving this distinction three times since joining the ACS NSQIP program in 2015,” explains Halton Healthcare’s President & CEO, Melissa Farrell.

“On behalf of the Surgical Program’s leadership team I would like to extend our appreciation to the dedicated team of healthcare professionals for their steadfast focus on enhancing the patient experience. They provide surgical care of the absolute highest quality, every day. This recognition is a testament to that work,” says Cathy Goacher, Director of the OTMH Surgical Program.

ACS NSQIP is the only nationally validated quality improvement program that measures and enhances the care of surgical patients. ACS NSQIP is a major program of the American College of Surgeons and is currently used in over 850 adult and pediatric hospitals.