Building Connections With Patients and Families in the Intensive Care Unit: A Canadian Top-Performer Success Story

Debbie Matchett¹, Michel Haddad, Jennifer Volland

• ¹Debbie Matchett, BScN, RN, is manager of intensive care unit, telemetry, acute stroke unit, and respiratory therapy, Bluewater Health, Sarnia, Ontario, Canada. She is critical care nurse for 33 years and currently manager for critical care at Bluewater Health since 2009. Ms Matchett is an RNAO Best Practice Champion and has completed her bachelor of science in nursing with an interdisciplinary certificate in palliative care nursing from Lakehead and has her Indigenous Cultural Safety Certificate. Michel Haddad, MD, MSc, FRCSC, is medical director of Critical Care Program, Bluewater Health, Sarnia, Ontario, and adjunct professor at the University of Western Ontario, London, Canada. Originally from London, Ontario, Canada, Dr Haddad completed his medical school and surgical training at the University of Ottawa, with extra fellowship training in both heart failure surgery at the University of Maryland and Critical Care Medicine at Western University. In addition, he holds a master of science degree in epidemiology from the University of Ottawa. He joined the professional staff at Bluewater Health in 2010 as the medical director of critical care before becoming the medical director of medicine programs, then chief of professional staff in 2016. Prior to joining Bluewater Health, he was practicing as a cardiac surgeon and director of the cardiovascular intensive care unit at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Dr Haddad also serves as the academic lead for Western University in Sarnia-Lambton, Ontario, Canada. Dr Haddad has a long track record in research including multiple peer-reviewed scientific publications and book chapters in the fields of cardiothoracic surgery, transplantation, and critical care medicine. Jennifer Volland, DHA, MBE, BSN, RN, is vice president of Program Development, NRC Health where she has oversight of multiple service line improvement programs and harvesting best practices for the acute and post-acute care settings across the US and Canada. Dr Volland regularly speaks at national conferences and publishes in peer-review publications, coaches senior leadership on aligning and implementing initiatives that drive results, and helps organizations to tactically shift their culture to being a high-performing organization with greater consumer loyalty. With over 22 years in nursing, Dr Volland has worked all areas of healthcare either as an Administrator or in a front-line capacity.