The Alberta Atlas of Healthcare Variation (A-Atlas): A New Clinical Tool

Newly occurring and worsening pressure injuries are a challenge across LTC facilities in Alberta. Despite multiple risk reduction/prevention strategies and early identification and treatment approaches, there is inconsistency with how best practices are utilized across sites. The newly created Alberta Atlas of Healthcare Variation (A-Atlas) reveals the degree of variation by showing weighted median pressure injury rates across provincial zones, adjusted pressure injury rates over time, weighted median pressure injury rates between facilities grouped into different bed capacity ranges and crude pressure injury rates between first and subsequent assessments across sites. The goal of the A-Atlas is to raise awareness of clinical variation and prompt further investigation about why variation is present and whether the variation is warranted or unwarranted. It offers a data driven analysis to enable continuous quality improvement and stimulate action to improve patient outcomes.