Posted • Last updated
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Commitment: Long-term
Connection method: Virtual
Open to Provincial Region
Last updated
Volunteer Opportunity
Have you ever participated in a conversation about ‘goals of care’ or resuscitation status, either as a patient or family caregiver/substitute decision maker? (It may have been called MOST or Options for Care). If yes, consider joining the FLICS BC Advisory Committee to design and implement a project to improve the documentation used by the health care system to share what treatments seriously ill patients should receive when in an emergency situation.
Lead Organization/Department
BC Centre for Palliative Care
Aim
• We are conducting a project that will consult doctors across the province about medical forms that document the types of treatment, including resuscitation, patients receive. The aim of the project is to define and recommend a form that all of BC could use when patients are in an emergency health care situation.
• We are looking for patient partners to become Advisory Committee members to provide their input and perspectives during the project design and implementation process.
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 across the province who:
• Have experience of living with serious illness, or with experience of making health care decisions for a person with a serious illness (an illness that may last a long time, be incurable, and is often life limiting. The illness and it’s treatment may cause symptoms that limit activities and negatively affect quality of life)
or
• Have participated in a conversation about ‘goals of care’ or resuscitation status, either as a patient or family caregiver/substitute decision maker
and:
• Are comfortable sharing experiences in a group setting
• Have previous committee experience
• Are comfortable using Zoom to attend meetings
Please note that informal interviews will form part of the recruitment process.
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 Cassy Mitchell
Logistics
• Number of vacancies: 2-3
• Date and Time: The first meeting will take place June 21 10:30am – 12:00pm. The schedule for monthly meetings will then be determined. Some preparation work ahead of the meetings and providing feedback on resources may be required
• Location: Online meetings
• Commitment: Seven months to a year
Reimbursement
No out of pocket expenses are anticipated for this engagement opportunity. However, if you meet the eligibility criteria, but have concerns about your ability to participate, please contact Cassy Mitchell cmitchell@bcpsqc.ca to see if support options are available. We are always seeking to better understand and reduce barriers to participation.
Background
BC health authorities have forms that doctors complete to communicate the care a person should receive (level of intervention), including whether they should receive resuscitation/CPR (code status). However, there are different forms in use across the province, which creates a risk of error and confusion.
Therefore, to address a potential patient-safety issue, we are conducting a project to develop a recommendation for a common form that all doctors across the province can use. As part of this project we will engage doctors from across BC from different areas of practice that might make or use these forms to find out what information is the most useful for them. To help manage and guide the project we are forming an advisory committee, that will provide input into the design and implementation of the project and this new form. The advisory committee will include members of health authorities that are knowledgeable about these forms and related work, and also patient partners who may have had conversations with their doctor about them.
We realise there may be potential for harm to patient partners when discussing serious illness and resuscitation/code status. To reduce this risk, we emphasise that patient partners are under no obligation to share their personal experiences if they do not wish to. Should any patient partner experience discomfort, distress or other issues, we will ensure they are connected with appropriate supports.
Health Care Partner Contact Information
Cassy MitchellEngagement Leader, Patient and Public Engagement | Provincial
250.279.o717
cmitchell@bcpsqc.ca
