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Categories: My Experience, News & Events
Has a health care provider ever asked you, “What matters to you?” Have you ever shared with a health care provider what truly matters to you in your care? Asking that simple question has launched an international campaign that we are thrilled to be a part of. Today, the BC Patient Safety and Quality Council, in partnership with the Patient Voice Network, is launching a new campaign called “What Matters to You?” Day.
“What Matters to You?” Day started in Norway in 2014, with the goal of encouraging meaningful conversations between patients, caregivers, and families, and their health care providers. From Norway it expanded to Scotland, Brazil and beyond! More than 500 teams in 14 countries participated in 2016.
The campaign’s goal
The purpose of “What Matters to You?” Day is to encourage and support more meaningful conversations between people who provide health and social care and people, families and caregivers who receive health and social care. When a health care provider starts a conversation by asking what really matters to the person they are caring for, it helps them to build trust, develop empathy, and understand their patients. Ultimately, it improves the quality of care they provide.
How PVN Patient Partners can join What Matters to You?” Day
Many patient partners have already participated in the planning for “What Matters to You?” Day, sharing their answers to the question, providing input on resources, and ensuring that the patient voice was embedded in everything we’ve created so far. You can read some of their thoughts on what matters to them in our Guide to Having Conversations About What Matters. Now that the campaign is live, we’re looking forward to hearing from even more PVN members about how to have meaningful conversations in their care.
The big day is June 6, 2017. You can help us reach patients and providers across BC before that by signing up at www.whatmatterstoyoubc.ca . There are free resources, including stickers, buttons, and pocket cards that can help you spread the word about the campaign.
Most importantly, if you have a conversation with your health care provider about what matters to you, we want to hear about it! Share your story and let us know how it felt to share what truly matters to you and how your health care provider reacted.
We hope that on June 6, 2017 you will join us in a conversation about what matters to you!
Author: Danielle Simpson
Danielle is a Leader of Innovation and Engagement at the BC Patient Safety and Quality Council. She loves working on campaigns such as “What Matters to You?” Day as she can see such a broad impact on the health system as a result. In her free time, she loves hiking, skiing, biking and spending time with her family.
