SAFER-f Patient Flow Medicine Bundle

The SAFER Bundle is a way to operationalize reduction in needless waiting and values patients’ time.

We’ve heard the phrase ‘the right treatment, in the right place, at the right time’. Ultimately, we strive to ensure this for the people we serve within Nova Scotia Health, and the people we serve should expect this.

We know that...

• Ensuring patients are treated in the right care environment contributes to significant positive differences to their health status and trajectory.
• Acute care benefits patients in addressing and treating acute health issues, but beyond that, this type of care environment is not conducive to full recovery.
• Individuals who stay longer in acute care settings, especially those living with complex health issues, social issues, and frailty, are at risk of returning home less mobile and independent in their day-to-day function.
• Time spent in acute care is NOT only associated with physical symptoms that result from an acute health issue.

Patients, especially those living with frailty, also experience complications associated with the environment itself such as infections, deconditioning, delirium, poor oral intake, loss of agency over small comforts, and other challenges.

More time spent in acute care settings leads to more vulnerability to other factors.