KHSC Achieves Leadership Status as a Choosing Wisely Canada Accredited Hospital

Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC) has been recognized as a designated Choosing Wisely Canada Hospital achieving the Leadership Status – the highest achievement a hospital can attain. It is the ultimate standard awarded through the national Choosing Wisely Canada Hospital Designation Program, a clinician-led national campaign dedicated to reducing unnecessary medical tests, treatments and procedures that may expose patients to harm, consume precious health care resources, and do not add value to patient care. 

KHSC is one of only six hospitals in Canada to have achieved this status. 

“We are thrilled to be able to celebrate KHSC’s achievement of Choosing Wisely Leadership Status,” says Dr. Geneviève Digby, KHSC respirologist and Medical Director of Patient Safety, Quality, and Clinical Risk. “It’s the result of years of sustained, coordinated, and organization-wide efforts led by multidisciplinary teams committed to quality improvement and optimal resource utilization.” 

To qualify for leadership status, hospitals must go beyond implementing quality improvement projects and must demonstrate organizational leadership, mentorship to other hospitals, culture change, and a clear strategy for sustainability.  

This recent distinction reflects a commitment to evidence-based practices and meaningful conversations between clinicians and patients about care choices. 

A journey toward excellence in care 

In 2022, the hospital earned the Choosing Wisely Canada Level 1 designation after making targeted changes to laboratory and imaging ordering practices that prioritized appropriate, evidence-based care and minimized unnecessary testing.  

Since then, KHSC has continued to implement the principles of resource stewardship and patient-centred practice across clinical programs.  

Coordinated and led by KHSC’s Utilization Committee, Choosing Wisely principles were embedded into core organizational strategies. Clinical teams in Transfusion Medicine, Laboratories, Pharmacy, Radiology, and Anesthesiology and Peri-Operative Medicine led impactful initiatives with measurable benefits, while hospital-wide collaboration enabled cultural change through programs such as inhaler recycling. 

Key examples of Choosing Wisely successes led by these teams include: 

• Reducing unnecessary blood transfusions and intravenous albumin use, resulting in improved patient safety and cost savings 
• Reducing unnecessary laboratory testing to promote appropriate and evidence-based test ordering 
• Eliminating desflurane from the hospital pharmacy to meaningfully reduce KHSC’s environmental footprint 
• Implementing a hospital-wide inhaler recycling program that fostered cultural change and environmental stewardship 

Collectively, these contributions reflect a strong culture of leadership, collaboration, and continuous improvement, positioning KHSC as a recognized leader in Choosing Wisely implementation, sustainability-focused care, and quality-driven healthcare delivery. 

Achieving Leadership Status is a testament to the outstanding dedication of our clinicians and staff. This recognition highlights how deeply Choosing Wisely principles are embedded in our culture — from everyday clinical decisions to organizational quality strategies. - Dr. Digby

Through multidisciplinary collaboration, data-driven quality improvement initiatives, and a focus on sustainable change, KHSC has demonstrated both measurable improvements in care delivery and meaningful contributions to the broader healthcare community. 

It's part of a broader health care culture shift, encouraging clinicians and patients to ask, “Is this test or treatment truly necessary?” and to prioritize care that is both effective and safe.

Learn more about our journey to Choosing Wisely Canada Leadership Status