Focus Group Member, eCASE Project

Technology has the potential to dramatically improve how we deliver health care. The eCASE (electronic Consultative Access to Specialist Expertise) Project wants patients across BC to provide their thoughts on the pros and cons for electronic consultations between specialists and general practitioners. One potential benefit is reducing travel and wait times. Learn more and be part of the conversation!

Open to: Volunteers across the province

Lead Organization or Department

Providence Health Care, Patient Transitions

Aim

• To include feedback from patient volunteers on the use of technology between specialists and general practitioners for follow up care.
• Patients will be consulted on preliminary plans, what risks do they see and what are the advantages of this type of approach.

Level of Engagement

This opportunity is at the level of consult on the spectrum of engagement (www.iap2.org). The promise to you is that the health care partner will listen to and acknowledge your ideas and concerns, and provide feedback on how your input affected the decision.

Eligibility

• Communities across British Columbia
• Patients should have previously attended a PVN orientation session.  If you have not attended an orientation but are interested please contact Jami directly to see if accommodations may be possible.

Logistics

• Vacancies:  6-10
• Date and Time:  Wednesday, December 14^th 9:30am-11:30am (flexibility to accommodate patient volunteer schedules is possible)
• Location:  Teleconference
• Commitment:  Two-hour focus group

Reimbursement

There are no costs to patient volunteers for this opportunity.

Background

The eCASE (electronic Consultative Access to Specialist Expertise) patient focus group is seeking to:

• Gauge patient interest in eConsultation as a mode of care delivery and the benefits associated with this type of service
• Understand if there is a degree of apprehension felt by patients around privacy, technology and the transfer of their clinical documents to a provider that they have not met, and
• Whether there are worries around the “quality of the relationship” or personal caring factors inherent in the doctor-patient relationship
• Gain input on how to best involve patients in this mode of care

Currently, there is a Project Working Group with patient representation however adding a wider perspective into our program from a more diverse patient population is desired. The focus group will integrate the results of an online survey preceding the focus group.

Health Care Partner Contact Information

Jami Brown
Engagement Leader, Patient and Public Engagement | Fraser Valley
604.510.0449
jbrown@bcpsqc.ca