East Kootenay Connected Care Collaborative – Practices of “What Matters To You”

“Transitions in care” is when a patient is moving through the health care system to another phase in their care – such as when they leave acute care and move to home health, to their primary care provider, go home or go to rehabilitation, etc.

We have found that there is not enough patient and family involvement in care planning which results in unclear care pathways, fragmented care/communication, and confusion. These issues negatively impact patient experience & staff experience, compromise health outcomes, and make the system less efficient.
Poorly coordinated transitions are associated with increased readmissions, adverse events, and delayed follow-up. The lack of standardized care planning & documentation practices places burden on healthcare providers, contributing to burnout and stress.

Aim
By April 2027 Patients and Families are active participants in their care and discharge planning.

The EK team aims to integrate new approaches into existing practices that improve patient & family participation related to “what matters most” to them. In addition, the EK team is hoping to foster a work-place culture that focuses on Person- and Family-Centred Care.

Patient public partners will provide feedback on quality improvement work, will sit in meetings with leaders and provide input and information around the patient’s viewpoint, review documents, brainstorm, review data, problem solve, and collaborate throughout the improvement process.

IH will be broken up into the 6 geographical areas for the purposes of this project. The East Kootenay working group is one of the 6 geo areas.

For this work we would like 2 patient partners from the East Kootenay region.

The length of time is likely 1 year with on average a monthly commitment to meeting with the working group. The majority of work will be performed virtually with potential for in-person meetings (with advance notice).

The team would like partners who have either received care themselves or those who have had a loved-one who has received care. However, other healthcare experiences or non-healthcare backgrounds will be considered.

No prior career or work in healthcare is required.

Level of Engagement

This opportunity is at the level of Collaborate on the IAP2 Spectrum of Public Participation.

Eligibility

• Willing & comfortable to share health care experiences in a group setting
• Comfort with public speaking
• Have access to technology and the internet to participate in the engagement opportunity
• Comfortable using technology to attend online/virtual meetings
• An interest in improving health care services
• The time to participate in the engagement opportunity

Patient Partners ARE NOT required to be PVN members to participate in this engagement opportunity.

Health Care Partner Contact Information

Tracy Brown Improvement Consultant, IH Quality North | Interior Health (250) 919-4622 tracy.brown@interiorhealth.ca