Excellence is broadly understood as the process of exceeding the expectations of responsibility, by frequently and consistently going above and beyond the standards set forth by the professional organizations. Critical care excellence awards recognize and acknowledge the exemplarily contribution of the staff of Intensive Care Units, as individual health professionals and teams managing critically ill patients.
The College of Anaesthesiologists and Intensivists of Sri Lanka initiated these awards and is facilitating the Excellence in Critical Care Awards in Sri Lanka in conjunction with the other professional Colleges, Ministry of Health and well-wishers. This award ceremony was initiated for the first time in 2018 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of critical care in Sri Lanka. The awards were open to both state and private sector Intensive Care Units (ICUs) and the nominations should be forwarded through ICU consultants and the head of the institution.
Awards are presented for the following categories
- Excellence in patient safety initiatives
- Excellence in hand hygiene (HH); HH is considered the single most important intervention to curb hospital acquired infections. The compliance of more than 80% in WHO 5 movement in HH is considered the benchmark.
| Category | Score |
| Compliance (>80% expected) | 50-400 |
| Absence of ICU acquired infections | 30-300 |
| Facilities for HH in every bed space | 20-200 |
| Instructions for HH ( eg; posters) | 20-100 |
| Total (maximum) | 1000 |
- Excellence in Outreach services ; Track and trigger mechanisms such as early warning scoring tools (EWS) and critical care ‘outreach’ teams (CCOT)and have become standard in identifying patients at risk of clinical deterioration and promoting their optimization within the ward environment. CCOT highlights the impact of critical care services beyond the walls of intensive care unit.
| Category | Score |
| Availability | 40-300 |
| Tracking system (MEWs) | 40-300 |
| Early identification of deteriorating | 50-400 |
| Total (maximum) | 1000 |
- Excellence in Critical Incident Reporting; Incident reporting is a culture, which may encourage frontline practitioners to strengthen safety awareness and to acknowledge human vulnerability, while fostering a non-punitive learning culture and a willingness to report.
| Category | Score |
| Mechanism (voluntary vs external) | 30-150 |
| Number of incidents reported | 50-300 |
| Number of incidents investigated | 50-300 |
| Measures to prevent incidents | 40-250 |
| Total (maximum) | 1000 |
- Staff champions in Critical Care
Critical care delivery is heavily reliant upon teams that manage risk, complex technologies, changeable workloads, and uncertainty. Individual awards will be a truly a tribute to all the critical care team members who will relentlessly promote patient-driven excellence.
- Champion in Critical Care Nursing
- Champions of CRRT nurse
- Champion in ventilator management
- Champion in Critical Care Physiotherapy
Selection of champions in critical care was based on the following criteria:
| Category | Score |
| Service (>6 years) | 50-100 |
| Post-basic qualifications | 30-150 |
| Overseas experience | 30-150 |
| Outstanding contributions | 40-200 |
| Multisource feedback | 40-200 |
| Interview | 40-200 |
| Total (maximum) | 1000 |
- ‘Thistle Jayawardena Award’ for overall excellence in critical care delivery.
Overall best ICUaward honors a critical care unit that combines functional ICU design with the humanitarian delivery of critical care. Units awarded the best ICU demonstrate effective and systematic approach to policies, procedures and processes that include engagement of staff and key stakeholders; fact-based evaluation strategies for continuous process improvement; and performance measures that meet or exceed relevant benchmarks.
- Best General ICU
- Best specialized IC
To receive the Excellence Award, a unit must meet defined criteria within the following categories:
| Category | Score |
| Appropriate staffing and infrastructure | 40-200 |
| Patient safety initiatives | 40-200 |
| Evidence based practice | 40-200 |
| Extended of service delivery (DBD, CCOT) | 40-200 |
| Quality assurance in outcome | 40-200 |
| Total (maximum) | 1000 |
We salute the unwavering commitment to outstanding personal performance in critical care. For nurses and physiotherapists, excellence awards mean a positive and supportive work environment with greater collaboration between colleagues, leading to a higher morale for everyone in the unit. Units that receive the Excellence Award set the standard for excellence in patient care environments by collecting and using evidence-based information to improve patient outcomes, as well as patient, family and staff satisfaction. For patients and their families, excellence award signifies exceptional care through improved outcomes and greater overall satisfaction. We hope that these excellence awards provides a road map and tools to assist units in their path to excellence.
Terms and Conditions
- All applications should be forwarded through the consultant in charge and the director of the Hospital.
- All nominations are reviewed by an awards committee designated by the College of Anaesthesiologists and Intensivists in Sri Lanka, in association with other professional bodies.
- Intensive care units with more than 6 level three (functional) beds are considered for the award of best unit.
- Units must apply individually. If a hospital has multiple units seeking designation, each unit must submit a separate application.
- COAISL membership is not required to apply.
- All the champion staff member awards will be considered for those who have completed more than 6 years of dedicated services in ICUs.
- Multi source feedback should be collected from more than 3 different staff categories, and total MSF for each contestant should not be less than 10.
- Those who are selected for the ventilator or CRRT champion in the final round will face a written/viva voice examination.
- Final decision on the winners will be taken by a committee panel of judges appointed by the professional colleges and the ministry of health.
- The individuals and units awarded, will receive a 2 year designation and Units interested in re-designation may apply anytime after receiving the Excellence Award.
- Award ceremony will be held in the month of June, once in two years. Applications will be open by January 2020.
