Empowering People: Online Citizen Access to Personal Health Information and Services

Are you interested in accessing your personal health information and health services by using your personal computer or mobile device? If so, please join the Ministry of Health for a discussion that will help shape the future of how these technologies can be used to empower citizens, connect patients with their care team, and make sure that personal information continues to be safe and secure.

Open to: Volunteers across the province

Lead Organization or Department

Ministry of Health, Health Sector Information Management

Aim

The Ministry of Health is developing an ‘Online Patient Identity and Access Strategy’ that will guide how citizens in B.C. access their health information and services, online. To help do this, the ministry wants to hear what kinds of information and services citizens would find most useful, as well as any concerns. Your input will make sure the strategy focuses on the needs of citizens and their families. People from across the spectrum of care will play a role in creating the strategy including patients, physicians, health authorities, private businesses and other health-care providers. The completed strategy will be used to set a vision for the information and services citizens will have access to, so that we support people in ways that are meaningful, useful and empowering.

Level of Engagement

This opportunity is at the level of involve on the spectrum of engagement (www.iap2.org). The promise to you is that the health care partner will work with you to ensure that your ideas and concerns are reflected in recommendations and provide feedback on how your input affected any decisions.

Eligibility

We are seeking volunteers who: - Represent diversity of gender, age, geographic location and culture, - Have a range of experiences in the health-care system; everyone from those who are focused on wellness to those with complex and/or chronic conditions, and - Have varying comfort with computers; the conversations will focus less on technology and more on the information and services. Additionally, we welcome anyone helping family members with managing their health, or have accessed their health information or services online (e.g. booked family physician appointments, filled out health questionnaires, or looked up lab results). Patients should have previously attended a PVN orientation session and signed the Volunteer Agreement form. If you have not attended an orientation but are interested, please contact the engagement leader directly to see if accommodations may be possible.

Logistics

• Vacancies: 50
• Introductory teleconference will be held late January, date TBD. The estimated effort: 30 minutes. A minimum of one survey will be circulated. The estimated effort: 45 minutes.
• Frequency: A series of teleconferences will be scheduled for smaller groups of 6 to 8 participants beginning February 2017. Each teleconference will include discussion on topics such as what the future looks like and how patients see themselves interacting online with the health care system. The estimated effort to participate in one teleconference: 60 minutes
• Length of Commitment: 3 months

Reimbursement

As the sessions will be entirely through teleconference and online survey, we do not anticipate any out-of-pocket expenses for participants.

Background

The purpose of the strategy is to establish a vision for citizens to access their personal health information and services, online. Providing citizens with access to their health information could be critical for placing the person at the centre of their health care. This also supports health sector priorities such as the primary care home and the delivery of virtual care.

Engagement Leader Contact Information

Selena Davis
Engagement Leader, Patient and Public Engagement | Kootenays & Boundary
250.505.7866
sdavis@bcpsqc.ca