Member, Advisory Committee on Consumer Medication Incident Reporting in Canada

The Institute for Safe Medication Practices Canada is working with partners to update the consumer medication incident reporting process on safemedicationuse.ca. A patient partner is invited to participate on the Advisory Committee to help create a user-friendly way for consumers to report medication errors.

Open to: Patient partners across the province

Lead Organization or Department

Institute for Safe Medication Practices Canada

Aim

We are seeking to increase the quantity and quality of medication error reports from the unique perspective of consumers so that we can take action together to reduce harm from medications. A patient partner from BC will join other patient partners from across Canada, as well as health professionals and other health system partners, to co-design ways to achieve our goal. As a member of the Advisory Committee on Consumer Medication Incident Reporting, the patient partner will share their perspective and collaborate with other members to inform the initiative. A two-day workshop in Toronto will be a key part of the advisory role.

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

One patient partner from anywhere in BC with an interest in medication safety and consumer reporting of medication issues. They need to be able to participate in person at an October 3 & 4 workshop in Toronto, as well as periodic webinar meetings (up to four) between September and March. The selection process will consider:

• Experience with medications and/or medication errors.
• Experience in sharing their perspective and recommendations.
• Experience in collaborating within a group to co-design strategies for improvement.
• We are seeking people who represent diverse perspectives, which may include but are not limited to geography, culture, ethnic or national origin, marital status, age, gender/gender identity, sexual orientation, income variety, education, work experience, disability, and/or experiences with health challenges or health care. The composition of the Advisory Committee is guided by the desire to learn and to share perspectives and experiences from across a diverse population and broad demographic balance.

Logistics

• Vacancies: 1
• Initial meeting by webinar in mid to late September, in-person two-day workshop in Toronto (October 3 and 4), then up to four more monthly webinars before the end of March.

Reimbursement

All travel costs incurred to attend these events will be covered or reimbursed in accordance with the organizational policy. As much as possible, we will pre-pay travel expenses directly (e.g., booking flights and accommodation). For those expenses we cannot pay in advance (e.g., transit tickets, meals), we are able to provide expedited payment within a couple of weeks via cheque mailed to the address provided once an expense reimbursement form is received. If required, assistance may be provided upon request to ensure hotel deposits and incidental expenses are looked after in advance to reduce or eliminate the need for post-event reimbursement.

Background

There has been a consumer medication incident reporting mechanism (safemedicationuse.ca) since 2010. However, the volume of reports is low and often there is insufficient information to understand what caused the medication error. We will work on increasing the volume and quality of reports so that more effective analysis and learning can occur. The Canadian Patient Safety Institute and Patients for Patient Safety Canada are two of the many initiative partners.

Health Care Partner Contact Information

Karen Estrin
Engagement Leader, Patient and Public Engagement | Lower Mainland & Sunshine Coast
604.668.8245
kestrin@bcpsqc.ca