CAHO Pilot Project at TBRHSC a Success

Patients with possible spine injury usually had to wait in an uncomfortable collar for a physician assessment. However, nurses in the TBRHSC Emergency Department (ED) can now independently “clear” and remove c-collars, thanks to clinical research done right here. The Council of Academic Hospitals of Ontario (CAHO) selected TBRHSC to participate in the Canadian C-Spine Rule (CCR) ARTIC Research Project to implement an interprofessional-care approach in the ED. During this project a total of 712 patients were screened and assessed by nurses. It has greatly improved patient comfort and patient flow in this, one of Canada’s busiest, emergency departments.