Unattached Patient-Oriented Research Executive Member

Are you interested in research looking at differences between patients with and without a family doctor? Join this research project to contribute your concerns and expectations related to primary health care and discuss the impacts of being formally enrolled with a GP.

Open to: Patient partners across the province

Lead Organization or Department

Centre for Health Services and Policy Research, University of British Columbia

Aim

The aim of this initiative is to look at how different approaches to patient enrollment affect continuity and quality of care and the patient Family Doctor relationship. The purpose of engaging patients in the research project is three-fold. First, the patients would contribute their concerns and expectations related to primary health care to help refine the goals of the project. Second, patients would help in fostering patient and physician recruitment. Third, patients would participate in directing analyses, interpreting data, and optimizing the dissemination of results so that key messages are communicated appropriately.

Level of Engagement

This opportunity is at the level of collaborate (at a local community or program level) on the spectrum of engagement (www.iap2.org).  The promise to you is that the health care partner will look to you for advice in decision making, developing alternatives, and solutions and include your recommendations into the decision as much as possible.

Eligibility

• This opportunity is open to patients of any age, gender, region/community in BC with previous experience in primary health care settings, who (try to) access both medical and social services, and who are committed to improving continuity of care and patient-provider relationships
• Patients who have a chronic disease, low income, no more than a high school education, visible minority and are on disability or unemployed would be preferable.
• Ability to communicate in both English and French is desirable.
• Patients should have previously attended a Patient Voices Network orientation session and signed the Volunteer Agreement. If you have not attended an orientation but are interested please contact Cathy Almost directly to see if accommodations may be possible.

Logistics

• Vacancies: 2
• 3 governance meetings will be held, either in person or via web conference (Vancouver and Montreal).
• 2 year commitment, ending December 2018. Patient partners will maintain contact with the research team via emails and phone calls during the two-year project. This represents a commitment of approximately 50 hours, including meetings, travel, teleconferences, and reading/preparation

Reimbursement

All travel-related expenses (e.g. transportation, hotels, meals) will be covered according to McGill’s travel policy. Reconciliation of pre-payments and actual expenses will be made, according to McGill’s usual administrative delays (i.e. about 6-8 weeks after submitting the final report).

Background

This research opportunity is an initiative of the pan-Canadian Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR) Network in Primary and Integrated Health Care Innovations (PIHCI). The research includes world-class researchers from BC and Quebec, decision maker partners from both provincial Health Ministries, physician knowledge users, and patient partners.  We will have an executive committee of 10 (2 patient partners, 2 provider partners, 2 principal knowledge users, 2 quantitative researchers, 2 qualitative researchers) who will be responsible for the direction, management, and outcomes of the project.  Other co-investigators, collaborators, and patient and provider partners will serve on our advisory committee and will assist in the direction of the project by providing input, feedback, and evaluation. Patient-oriented research is defined as research conducted in multidisciplinary teams that focuses on patient-identified priorities and engages patients meaningfully and actively in governance, topic generation and priority-setting, and/or along the continuum of the research process, including knowledge translation and dissemination.

Health Care Partner Contact Information

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