Good care begins with good communication

It used to be generally accepted that health care providers knew what was best for patients. But more recently, patients and the public have had a stronger voice in policy setting and decision-making.

“It’s a very different world now than it was 20 or 30 years ago,” said Jami Brown, Leader, Healthy Living/Healthier Communities. “We now know we need to engage the public in a meaningful conversation. We see the value and the benefit from having patients and the public's voice in the process.”

This April, Fraser Health established a Patient Advisory Council to formally integrate the public perspective into decision-making and service-planning. The initiative builds on existing engagement vehicles such as information factsheets, patient experience surveys and partnerships with communities (e.g. Healthy Communities).

Seeking the patient perspective is critical as we try to improve patient care and safety, Brown noted. And those insights don’t have to come from formal engagement activities. Much can be learned from simply having conversations with patients and their families to learn about their care goals and what kind of support they need.

“If you don’t understand the experience of the people you’re trying to serve, how do you know what you need to improve?” Brown said. “If we’re a continuous improvement organization, that continuous improvement should involve including all stakeholders.”

As we seek to engage the public more in our work at Fraser Health, we must also ensure we do so in a meaningful way, Brown stressed. “We need to be clear, purposeful and meaningful. Patients, families and the public need to know what their involvement means. We have to clearly identify what we’re looking for.”