Patient Survey Review, South Okanagan Similkameen Focus Group

What makes patients go to the Emergency Department instead of a walk-in clinic or physician office? We are looking for 12-15 patient partners interested in providing your feedback on July 25th over a dinner focus group.

Open to: Patient partners in the South Okanagan

Lead Organization or Department

South Okanagan Similkameen Division of Family Practice (Shared Care); University of British Columbia Okanagan

Aim

To obtain feedback on a survey tool that will be used to understand why patients are accessing the emergency room instead of other primary care services such as walk-in clinics and physician offices.

Level of Engagement

This opportunity is at the level of involve on the spectrum of engagement (www.iap2.org). The promise to you is that the health care partner will involve patients in planning and design phases to ensure ideas or concerns are considered and reflected in alternatives and recommendations.

Eligibility

• The health care partners are hoping to engage a wide range of age groups, gender, education, health conditions, and backgrounds
• Patient partners do not need not have a health condition to be involved
• Preference would be given to accommodating patients from the Penticton and South Okanagan Similkameen area to reflect the local population as much as possible, as well as to provide appropriate compensation for travel
• If you have a strong interest in this work but have not yet completed a PVN orientation and volunteer agreement, are unsure if your experience is a good fit or feel another format of engagement would work better with your availability, please contact the engagement leader directly.

Logistics

• Vacancies: 12-15
• Date and time:  Wednesday, July 25th,  5:00 - 8:00 pm (exact time to be confirmed)
• Location: South Okanagan Division of Family Practice Office, Penticton
• One time focus group (approximately 1.5 hours)
• Dinner will be provided

Reimbursement

• Participants will be reimbursed for the travel costs to come to the focus group within 100km
• Reimbursement for other costs such as childcare or taxi costs are also available but pre-approval is required

Background

The South Okanagan Similkameen (SOS) has found that patients are accessing emergency care when forms of primary care may be more efficient or beneficial.  The SOS Division of Family Practice has partnered with a behavioural scientist at UBC Okanagan (Gainforth) to develop a survey that helps us understand why patients are choosing to access emergency care instead of other services. Since the design of the survey tool, the Division has also partnered with one of the UBC residency students, Dr. Travis Thompon, who will be implementing the survey. Responses to this survey will be used to develop interventions ensure patients receive the right care at the right time.  Feedback at the focus group may also help inform future survey design, as well as inform opportunity for patient engagement in the design process. We aim to gain patient feedback on a survey tool that will be used to understand why patients are accessing the emergency room instead of other primary care services. We aim to streamline the language to ensure the survey is easy to understand and eliminate “I don’t know” or “it’s too long” deterrents, as well as to refine the survey methodology (e.g., test the use of tablets to complete the survey, as well as paper versions).  By piloting this survey with a few potential patients, we will be able to better understand their perspective and adapt our language accordingly. To ensure the survey is easy for patients to understand we would like to conduct a focus group with 12-15 patients.  Patients will be introduced to the three constructs assessed by the survey (i.e. capability, opportunity, and motivation).  They will then we asked for their feedback on the 24 items in the survey.  In particular, they will be asked: 1) Is the item easy to understand?; and 2) can they identify the construct being measured? The focus group will end with a group discussion facilitated by the researcher about the survey.

Health Care Partner Contact Information

Carol Stathers
Engagement Leader, Patient and Public Engagement | Okanagan, Interior Region
778.516.3308
cstathers@bcpsqc.ca