Newfoundland, PEI and SQLI Appropriate Use of Antipsychotics Quality Improvement Collaborative

The Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement (CFHI) (now amalgamated with the Canadian Patient Safety Institute as Healthcare Excellence Canada) collaborated with the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island to support the Appropriate Use of Antipsychotics (AUA) approach being implemented in:

• all 39 publicly funded long-term care homes in Newfoundland and Labrador 
• all nine publicly funded long-term homes in Prince Edward Island
• five long-term homes from the Seniors Quality Leap Initiative, a North American network of long-term care organizations focused on improving clinical and safety for seniors.

The collaboration ran from 2018 to late 2019. 

More than half of participating residents¹ who were prescribed antipsychotics without a diagnosis of psychosis had these medications safely reduced or discontinued. This improved their care experiences and lives while also reducing their risk of negative health outcomes. The benefits for residents included these final results: 

• In Newfoundland and Labrador, 52 percent of participating long-term care residents either had their medication dosage reduced (22 percent) or discontinued entirely (30 percent). 
• In Prince Edward Island, 53 percent of participating long-term care residents either had their medication dosage reduced (28 percent) or discontinued entirely (25 percent).
• There was no change in physical or verbal aggressive behaviours among these residents whose antipsychotic medication was reduced or discontinued. 

Participating teams joined CFHI’s Momentum Challenge – an invitation-only program that assisted teams to expand the reach of the AUA approach and sustain its impact. 

Following the success of the AUA collaborative in Prince Edward Island, Health PEI planned on spreading the AUA approach across the privately funded long-term care homes. 

The Teams

Newfoundland and Labrador

Blue Crest Inter Faith Home, Grand Bank Bonavista
Protective Community Residence, Bonavista
Caribou Memorial Veteran’s Pavilion, St. John’s 
Chancellor Park, St. John’s 
Clarenville Protective Community Residence, Clarenville 
Dr. Albert O’Mahoney Memorial Manor, Clarenville 
Dr. Walter Templeman Health Centre, Bell Island 
Golden Heights Manor, Bonavista 
Lion’s Manor Nursing Home, Placentia 
Pleasant View Towers, St. John’s 
Private Josiah Squibb Memorial Pavilion, Carbonear 
Saint Luke’s Homes, St. John’s 
Salvation Army Glenbrook Lodge, St. John’s 
St. Patrick’s Mercy Homes, St. John’s 
The Agnes Pratt Home, St. John’s 
U.S. Memorial Health Centre, St. Lawrence 
Waterford Hospital, St. John’s 

M. Guy Memorial Health Centre, BuchansBaie Verte Health Centre, Baie Verte
Bonnews Lodge, New-Wes-Valley
Carmelite House, Grand Falls-Windsor
Connaigre Peninsula Health Centre, Harbour Breton
Dr. Hugh Twomey Health Centre, Botwood
Fogo Island Health Centre, Fogo Island
Lakeside Homes, Gander
North Haven Manor and Protective Community
Residence, Lewisporte
Notre Dame Bay Memorial Health Centre, Twillingate
Valley Vista Senior Citizen’s Home, Springdale 

Bay St. George Long Term Care Home, Stephenville
Crossing Bonne Bay Health Centre, Norris Point
Calder Health Centre, Burgeo
Corner Brook Long Term Care Home, Corner Brook
Dr. Charles L. Legrow Health Centre, Port aux Basques
Protective Community Residences, Corner Brook
Rufus Guinchard Health Centre, Port Saunders 
Labrador-Grenfell Health 
Labrador South Health Centre, Forteau Labrador
West Health Centre, Labrador City
Happy Valley Goose Bay Long Term Care Home, Happy Valley-Goose Bay
John M. Gray Health Centre & Complex, St. Anthony

Labrador South Health Centre, Forteau
Labrador West Health Centre, Labrador City
Happy Valley Goose Bay Long Term Care Home, Happy Valley-Goose Bay
John M. Gray Health Centre & Complex, St. Anthony

Beach Grove Home, Charlottetown
Colville Manor, Souris
Margaret Steward Ellis Home, O’Leary 
Maplewood Manor, Alberton
Prince Edward Home, Charlottetown
Riverview Manor, Montague
Stewart Memorial, Tyne Valley
Summerset Manor, Summerside
Wedgewood Manor, Summerside 
Seniors Quality Leap Initiative 
Bruyère Continuing Care (Élisabeth Bruyère Hospital), Ottawa, Ontario
Hebrew Senior Life, Roslindale, Massachusetts, USA
Perley & Rideau Veterans Health Centre, Ottawa, Ontario
Schlegel Villages, The Village of Sandalwood Park, Kitchener, Ontario
St. Andrew’s Village, Presbyterian Senior Living Community, Indiana, Pennsylvania, USA 

Bruyère Continuing Care (Élisabeth Bruyère Hospital), Ottawa, Ontario
Hebrew Senior Life, Roslindale, Massachusetts, USA
Perley & Rideau Veterans Health Centre, Ottawa, Ontario
Schlegel Villages, The Village of Sandalwood Park, Kitchener, Ontario
St. Andrew’s Village, Presbyterian Senior Living Community, Indiana, Pennsylvania, USA

¹ Of those who were still participating in the AUA program at the end of both Phase 1 and Phase 2.