PoET is launching in 30 additional long term care homes

PoET-LinC (Prevention of Error-based Transfers – Indicators of Informed Consent) is the latest funded collaboration between William Osler Health System’s Ethics Quality Improvement Lab and McMaster University’s Department of Family Medicine. In this project, our team aims to launch PoET in 30 additional LTC homes between 2023-2025; primarily within the Greater Hamilton Health Network, but any Ontario LTC home demonstrating interest would be eligible to participate. In these 30 LTC homes, we are piloting action-based and process-based indicators which could allow a LTC home to demonstrate alignment with the Ontario Healthcare Consent Act. Example pilot indicators include: Was capacity assessed at the time of decision-making? Was consent received for a treatment proposal in a timely fashion? Was a treatment plan proposed? We aim to conduct retrospective chart audits in over 400 LTC residents over a three-month period after PoET implementation in PoET-LinC homes to inform the feasibility of our indicators.

The results of PoET-LinC will advocate for novel practice standards for LTC homes with respect to informed consent by moving the needle forward in identifying feasible action and process indicators of alignment to the Ontario Healthcare Consent Act.