PATIENT & FAMILY ADVISORY COMMITTEE

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Community engagement and patient advisory has been a concept and a practice within our province and health care system for a number of years.  It is important to have patient, family and public engagement to contribute ideas, be involved in providing feedback on initiatives and changes to improve our health care system. 

 Health Quality Ontario believes that patient, family and public engagement is central to improving health care.  As well, Accreditation Canada standards speak to patient and family centered care and that organizations are actively seeking feedback on the quality of service being provided which is measured by the patient experience to create a culture of excellence in care.  Health Quality Ontario is the provincial advisor on the quality of health care and Health Quality Ontario’s purpose is, “better health for all Ontarians.”

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A PATIENT ADVISOR?

A Patient and Family Advisory Committee (PFAC) Member at the North Shore Health Network (NSHN) will be someone who:

• Wants to help improve the quality of our hospital’s care for all patients and family members

• Gives advice to the hospital based on his or her own experience as a patient or family member

• Partners with committee staff members on how to improve the patient experience

• Volunteers his or her time (typically 1-4 hours per month)

What do NSHN PFAC committee members do?

• Share your story

• Participate in committee work

• Review or help create educational or informational materials

• Work on long and short-term projects / solutions

• Serve on the Patient and Family Advisory Committee and represent the best interest of NSHN as a whole

What is the purpose of the NSHN Patient and Family Advisory Committee?

The purpose of this committee is to improve patient care experiences at the North Shore Health Network – Blind River, Thessalon and Richards Landing-Matthews sites. This committee serves in an advisory capacity on matters that impact the experiences of patients by: providing feedback, advice and ideas that enhance and embrace the model of patient and family centered care, to be a collaborative positive partner for the enhancement of high quality patient and family centered care, and to advance patient and community engagement as well as patient and family centered care principles and practices at the North Shore Health Network.

What is Community/Patient Engagement?

Patient engagement means patients, families and health providers actively collaborating to improve Ontario’s health system. This includes the many ways that health providers work with patients and families to understand their needs, and respond to them.  Our goal is to foster an empathetic culture in our health system that recognizes patient, family and public engagement at its centre.

There are six principles that define a strong culture of engagement between patients, their caregivers and health professionals. 

• Partnership – meaningful engagement requires authenticity

• Learning – expect to learn about each other’s perspectives

• Empowerment – need to feel empowered to openly express needs, perspectives and concerns without fear of reprisal, to make informed decisions

• Transparency – health care professionals and organizations are honest about their apprehensions, resource limitations and knowledge gaps

• Responsiveness – health care professionals and organizations act upon the voices of patients, their caregivers and the general public in ways that demonstrate the positive impact of this input

• Respect – is recognized and demonstrated for all members of the committee by actively showing signs of appreciation for their time, ideas, lived experiences, various worldviews and cultural locations

Domains of Engagement: 

 (1)   Personal Care and Health Decisions  - for example:  Grey Bruce Health services clinical staff utilize the teach back method as a way of supporting the patient, it is a communication method whereby health care staff share health information and medical instructions with their patients, who then repeat it back in their own words.

(2)   Program and Service Design – for example: A fracture clinic within a community hospital setting partnered with patients and their caregivers to choose a new layout and seats for their waiting room.

(3)   Policy, Strategy and Governance – for example:  having patient advisors/representatives involved in hosting a public meeting to engage patients/community members in the development of a new strategic plan.

WHAT IS PATIENT-AND FAMILY-CENTRED CARE?

Patient and family centered care is an approach to the planning, delivery, and evaluation of health care that is grounded in mutually beneficial partnerships among health care providers, patients, and families. It redefines the relationships in health care by placing an emphasis on collaborating with people of all ages, at all levels of care, and in all health care settings. In patient and family centered care patients and families define their “family” and determine how they will participate in care and decision-making. A key goal is to promote the health and well-being of individuals and families and to maintain their control. 

This perspective is based on the recognition that patients and families are essential allies for quality and safety—not only in direct care interactions, but also in quality improvement, safety initiatives, education of health professionals, research, facility design, and policy development.

Patient and family centered care leads to better health outcomes, improved patient and family experience of care, better clinician and staff satisfaction, and wiser allocation of resources.

References:  Ontario’s Patient Engagement Framework, Health Quality Ontario, Fall 2016; Engaging Patients in Patient Safety, Canadian Patient Safety Institute, Health Quality Ontario, Accreditation Canada; Johnson, B. H. & Abraham, M. R. (2012). Partnering with Patients, Residents, and Families: A Resource for Leaders of Hospitals, Ambulatory Care Settings, and Long-Term Care Communities. Bethesda, MD: Institute for Patient- and Family-Centered Care.