Serious traumatic brain injury (sTBI) national collaborative begins second phase of improvement work

The second phase of the sTBI national collaborative launched on Tuesday 21 February 2023 with the first learning session in Wellington. This follows the first phase, which began in October 2022. The collaborative is part of the major trauma quality improvement programme, a partnership between the National Trauma Network, the Accident Compensation Corporation and the Health Quality & Safety Commission (the Commission).

Members of the serious traumatic brain injury (sTBI) national collaborative

The focus of this work is the identification of and accurate screening for post-traumatic amnesia (PTA) in patients admitted to hospital following trauma. The duration of PTA is used to assess the severity of TBI, predict functional outcomes and determine the intensity of the rehabilitation services needed to provide patients with the best chance at recovery. How PTA is assessed in trauma patients currently varies across Aotearoa New Zealand. This collaborative aims to address this inconsistency so that all trauma patients have equitable access to appropriate specialist rehabilitation.

The session opened with karakia and whakawhanaungatanga led by senior project manager Tony Mottershead, followed by an introduction to the collaborative by clinical lead Dr David Knight. This introduction covered the goals of the project, what data can tell us about our current systems and the anticipated impact of this work on patient outcomes.

An inspiring presentation from Colin Woodhouse, registered nurse at Te Whatu Ora – Waitaha Canterbury, emphasised the crucial role of consumers in improvement work. Colin shared his experience of his journey through the health care system when he sustained an sTBI in 2011. The principle of consumer co-design has been woven into the collaborative programme, and all participating services have a consumer representative on their project teams.

Quality improvement advisors from the Commission introduced teams to quality improvement methods and tools through a mix of education and hands-on workshops. Sessions covered aim statements, process maps, driver diagrams, measures and the health equity assessment tool and how these can be used to guide improvement and change.

Feedback from teams was positive, and a second learning session is scheduled for Tuesday 7 March 2023. Between these learning sessions, the Commission team will work alongside project teams to support their improvement journey for the benefit of trauma patients across Aotearoa New Zealand.

Published 01 March 2023