Member, Surgical Optimization Project Working Group

Are you a patient with diabetes who has undergone elective surgery at Penticton Regional Hospital? We want to hear about your journey to inform a project aimed at improving care for patients with poor glycemic control.

Open to: Patient partners from the South Okanagan area

Lead Organization or Department

South Okanagan Similkameen Division of Family Practice

Aim

The project aims to reduce surgical site infections and improve patient and provider satisfaction by working to control glycemic levels pre-, intra- and post-surgery. The overall goal is to integrate specialized hospital care, specialized community service programs and family physician teams by standardizing care along a pathway from the patients family physician, through the hospital and back to the family physician/community. The patient partner would help inform the new pathway by telling their story and be a voice on the advisory group.

Level of Engagement

This opportunity is at the level of involve on the spectrum of engagement. 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

• Diabetic patient who went through elective surgery at Penticton Regional Hospital
• Comfort sharing your experience.

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: 2 Time, Date, Location: Meetings will be held in-person at Penticton either at the PRH or at the Division of Family Practice office on Warren Avenue. They are usually held in the evening from 5:30-8:00 pm and include dinner. The next advisory meeting will be in December. Commitment: Over the next two years there will be approximately 6 advisory meetings. It is anticipated that one meeting will be required to capture the story and held as soon as possible and can be done at any time of the day and at the Division of Family Practice office.

Reimbursement

Mileage and meals will be covered.

Background

We have developed the following project proposal, which outlines the goals of the project.

Health Care Partner Contact Information

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