Caitlin Muhl has long had her sights set on a paediatrics career, so when she heard about Brock’s I-EQUIP program, she knew it was another step in the right direction.

Muhl, a fourth-year Health Sciences student and recipient of the 2016-17 President’s Surgite Award, recently joined Goodman Masters of Business Administration student Blair Hutchings in London, England to attend the International Forum on Quality and Safety in Healthcare.

Blair Hutchings with Colonel Chris Hadfield.

The two presented information on Brock’s I-EQUIP (Interprofessional Education for Quality Improvement Program) at the prestigious healthcare conference, which brought together 3,400 people from 70 countries

“I love helping children and being involved in community initiatives,” says Muhl. “By second year, I wanted to find a way to balance my understanding of public health with patient perspectives and really make a difference”.

Already enrolled in Med plus, when she heard about I-EQUIP, she knew it would get her even closer to her goal of working in a hospital.

“I-EQUIP stood out because I like learning about the healthcare system and wanted to engage in experiences that would allow me to be an excellent future health professional,” says Muhl.

With a background in health sciences and now pursing an MBA, Hutchings felt the experience she could gain in I-EQUIP would help her understand her career path while also contributing to the community.

It wasn’t long before Muhl and Hutchings started working on their projects with staff in the Niagara Health Children’s Health Unit in St. Catharines on an I-EQUIP project which used the Canadian Paediatric Trigger Tool to inform real time quality improvement.

“Trigger tools are used to uncover certain events, like high rates of unplanned readmissions, gaps in care, a patient fall or a medication error,” explains Muhl. “The goal is to identify these triggers and make improvements.”

Muhl and Hutchings were responsible for collecting data, developing a manual for how the tool could be used within the system and co-training a core team of nurses and physicians on how to use the tool effectively to identify patient safety issues.

“Caitlin and Blair’s work on pediatric patient safety earned them a tremendous opportunity to present at the top international conference on health quality,” says Health Sciences Associate Professor and I-EQUIP Director Madelyn Law.

She said the two students worked hard on their project and received funding from BUSU, an MBA student grant and the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences to be able to attend the conference.

“This conference was an opportunity to get feedback, learn about unique programs and share information about Brock and I-EQUIP,” Muhl said. “It was inspiring to hear from healthcare professionals who have been doing this for a lot longer than I have.”

Muhl will graduate in June and has been accepted to Brock’s Master of Public Health program for September. Hutchings will graduate with her MBA in June and start working at Deloitte in the fall.

Brock University students Blair Hutchings, left, and Caitlin Muhl at the International Forum on Quality and Safety in Healthcare in London, England.

The I-EQUIP team who worked with Muhl and Hutchings on the Canadian Pediatric trigger tool to inform real time quality improvement included:

• Madan Roy, Niagara Health System
• Carol Munro, Clinical Manager, Maternal/Child and Paediatrics at Niagara Health
• Laura Farrelly, Program Director of Women, Babies and Children’s Health and Site Director at St. Catharines Site
• Elaina Orlando, Quality and Patient Safety Specialist