Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC) has been a designated Best Practice Spotlight Organization (BPSO) through the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO) since April 2013.
This long-standing partnership is a core pillar of the hospital’s transition into an academic health sciences centre. By moving away from historical “we’ve always done it this way” routines, the BPSO initiative systematically embeds evidence-based research directly into frontline clinical workflows to optimize patient outcomes.
For more information on our BPSO or the Nursing Practice Council, please email TBRHSC.LearningAndPractice@tbh.net.
Alignment with Regional Care & Strategic Goals
The BPSO framework heavily intersects with TBRHSC’s broader strategic priorities, particularly under its Patient Experience pillar and its comprehensive Patient and Family Centred Care (PFCC) model.
Transitions in Care: Given TBRHSC’s unique position as the primary acute care and Level 3 critical care trauma hub for Northwestern Ontario, seamless care transitions are vital. Notably, TBRHSC’s current President and CEO, Rhonda Crocker Ellacott, co-chaired the development of the RNAO’s updated Transitions in Care and Services BPG, reflecting the facility’s leadership in managing regional patient flow and safe transfers of accountability. By training clinical staff as “BPSO Champions,” the facility maintains an evidence-informed culture that bridges the gap between academic research and bedside nursing practice across the region.
Key Best Practice Guidelines (BPGs) Implemented
TBRHSC has integrated numerous RNAO guidelines across its units, categorized into critical areas of clinical care and workplace health:
Clinical Management: Guidelines regarding the Assessment and Management of Pain and Care and Maintenance to Reduce Vascular Access Complications (which famously supported expanded roles, such as Vascular Access Clinical Nurse Specialist and Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter team).
Engaging Clients Who Use Substances: Guided by the RNAO’s Engaging Clients Who Use Substances BPG, the hospital emphasizes trauma- and violence-informed care alongside harm reduction principles. Frontline initiatives focus on universal screening, building non-judgmental, collaborative relationships through motivational interviewing, and actively countering systemic stigma. It ensures that individuals navigating substance use receive compassionate, equity-oriented care across all acute and emergency medical services (which supported expanded roles, such as Mental Health and Addictions Clinical Nurse Specialist and Addictions Medicine Consult Service).
Healthy Work Environments: Implementing guidelines dedicated to Developing and Sustaining Nursing Leadership, Collaborative Practice Among Nursing Teams, and Preventing and Managing Violence in the Workplace.
Injury & Harm Prevention: Extensive, Hospital-wide protocols focused on the Risk Assessment and Prevention of Pressure Injuries and Preventing Falls and Reducing Injury from Falls.
Palliative Approach to Care: Grounded in the guideline A Palliative Approach to Care in the Last 12 Months of Life, this framework shifts the perspective from strictly end-of-life care to an integrated, upstream model. It focuses on early screening and comprehensive interprofessional care planning for patients with progressive, life-limiting illnesses. Frontline implementation prioritizes symptom and pain management, psychosocial and spiritual support, and clear communication regarding values, preferences, and goals of care.
Patient Safety & Restraints: Applying evidence-based, alternative approaches to minimize the use of restraints across the organization.
Impact and Monitoring
As a BPSO, TBRHSC regularly feeds its de-identified nursing-sensitive indicator data into the NQuIRE® (Nursing Quality Indicators for Reporting and Evaluation) database. This allows the organization to benchmark its fall rates, pressure injury metrics, and other quality indicators against provincial and international standards, ensuring that frontline practices continuously evolve based on real-time data.
This work is part of the BPSO® designation program, funded by the Government of Ontario. For more information about the RNAO BPSO® program, please visit RNAO.ca.
