Using Labs Wisely: Portal - Choosing Wisely Canada

Welcome to the national consortium that’s changing the lab utilization landscape in Canada.

This portal is intended for participating hospitals to learn about program updates, useful resources, and ways to interact with others in the Using Labs Wisely program.

Key Dates and Timing:

Mon. September 11, 2023: 2 pm-4 pm ET | 11 am-1 pm PT
Mon. October 16, 2023: 2 pm-4 pm ET | 11 am-1 pm PT
Mon. November 13, 2023: 2 pm-4 pm ET | 11 am-1 pm PT

Participating hospitals should have the following documents completed throughout the program:

Deliverable Reminders

QIP: Next deadline is end of September (please submit them to gillian.hurwitz@unityhealth.to).
Data submission: Due end of September
Sites who have already received a comparative report– only required to submit 6-month increment of data up to July 31, 2023 (submitting data onward from last submitted dataset)
Sites who have not received a comparative report- required to submit retrospective data from January 1, 2018 to July 31, 2023.
Data submissions and any data-related questions can be sent to GEMINI.CWC@unityhealth.to

Check out relevant tools and resources that can support your quality improvement efforts in the Using Labs Wisely program:

Pause the Draws

A toolkit on reducing repetitive, “routine” blood tests in hospitals.

Understand the Gland

A toolkit for appropriate ordering practices of free thyroid hormone testing.

Low-Value Lab Tests

A tool focused on appropriate use of specific laboratory tests and evidence-based interventions that have reduced unnecessary use of the test or practice.

Lab Recommendations

A collection of Choosing Wisely Canada recommendations related to lab utilization.

CADTH Cost Calculator

Provides insights on potential resource savings associated with the reduction of five low-value laboratory tests.

Members Database

A list of Using Labs Wisely participating members.

Shared ULW Site Resources

Check out the recordings below featuring past Using Labs Wisely learning collaborative sessions.

Using Lab Wisely: Orientation

Lab Target Considerations and Example:

This video on lab target considerations provides a framework for selecting a lab target that your site may want to focus on. Please see the corresponding PowerPoint for the specific framework and the example for a real application to lab target selection.

QI Diagnostics and Stakeholder Engagement:

This video on QI diagnostics provides a review of three common QI tools used to diagnose the problem to target: process mapping, cause-and-effect analysis, and the Pareto diagram. Please see the corresponding PowerPoint for more information and relevant resources to support the use of these tools. stakeholder engagement provides a review of the hierarchy of effectiveness for different types of QI intervention as well as a framework for stakeholder engagement. Please see the corresponding PowerPoint to learn more as well as the relevant resources to carry out stakeholder mapping for your project.

Relevant Resources: Relevant Resources:
Pareto Chart Template. Stakeholder Engagement
Cause and Effect Analysis Handout

Lab Change Ideas:

This video on lab change ideas covers the family of measures and highlights its linkage to lab interventions. It also explores some different types of lab interventions (e.g., education initiatives, ordering initiatives), and where it is situated on the hierarchy of effectiveness. Please see the corresponding PowerPoint to learn more.

Baseline Data:

This video on baseline data demonstrates how data can help further inform lab target selection lab change ideas as well as highlights some successful changes implemented and the need for ongoing data to be part of change strategy. Please see the corresponding PowerPoint to learn more.