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Because your voice matters.

Member, Co-Designing Patient Communication Boards

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Open to Northern Region, Patient partners in the Northern region

Last updated

Patients and their family members value clear communication during a hospital stay. Northern Health wants to standardize their patient communication boards at all hospitals across the North and want to hear from patients and families on what information is important to them!

Open to: Patient partners in the Northern region

Lead Organization or Department

Northern Health, Quality Improvement

Aim

Our aim is to reduce the variation in how we communicate with patients and families in hospital by standardizing patient communication boards in Northern Health. Patient partners will be part of the team determining the right mix of wording and images to be included on the communication boards in order to enhance patient understanding of treatment, engage patients and families in their care and improve the overall patient experience.

Level of Engagement

This opportunity is at the level of collaborate on the spectrum of engagement. The promise to you is that the health care partner will work together with you to formulate solutions and incorporate your advice and recommendations into the decisions to the maximum extent possible.

Eligibility

Open to patient partners in the Northern region who:
  • Are comfortable sharing health care experiences and working in large groups
  • Have experienced a hospital stay for self, or a family member, within the last three years
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 Cathy Almost or Cassy Mitchell.

Logistics

  • Vacancies: Three in each Health Service Delivery Area (9 in total)
  • Date: Late May - early June (exact dates to be determined)
  • Time: Two-hour session; in-person
  • A one-hour preparation call will need to be attended and there is the potential for an additional one-hour meeting (Webex or in person) to combine feedback from all the sites. This would be planned for late June - early July.
  • For patient partners who are unable to attend in person, please contact your engagement leader as there will be the opportunity to review the summary of the work and answer key questions posed by Northern Health after the focus groups take place.

Reimbursement

Mileage will be reimbursed for each of the health service delivery areas as follows:
  • Travel for Northwest patient partners to Prince Rupert: 400kms (return mileage)
  • Travel for Northeast patient partners to Fort St. John: 200kms (return mileage)
  • Travel for Northern Interior patient partners to Prince George: 250kms (return mileage)
Light refreshments will be provided at all sessions.  

Background

Whiteboards have become an increasingly popular communication strategy within hospitals. Northern Health is in the process of developing a standardized template for patient communication boards with predefined fields of content that will improve teamwork, communication and patient care. The goals of this initiative include developing a tool that will enhance patient understanding of treatment, engage patients and families in their care and improve the overall patient experience.

Health Care Partner Contact Information

Cassy Mitchell
Engagement Leader, Patient and Public Engagement | Northern BC
250.615.9932
cmitchell@bcpsqc.ca

Cathy Almost
Engagement Leader, Patient and Public Engagement | Northern BC
250.615.9932
calmost@bcpsqc.ca

From Our Community

Lisa Dyck

Former Manager, BC Emergency Medicine Network

Lisa Dyck

PVN patient partner’s feedback has reinforced the important relationships between patients and providers for emergency care. Our partnership with PVN has brought many new opportunities to adjust how health care and patient partners can work together on BC Emergency Medicine Network priorities.