​​​Archive: September 24, 2015

Webinar Highlights

Almost 200 participants contributed to a global conversation on patient engagement with authorities at three levels: point of care, organizational and system. Each presenter shared practical examples of engagement. See the resources section for guidelines, slides and the recording for more details about the examples presented.  

Patient engagement with authorities at the point of care

Dr Jorge Cesar Martinez, Argentina

• Effective agents for patient safety and health systems and services improvement are well-informed patients, families, communities and medical students
• A shared decision-making process between healthcare providers (authorities) and patients/families is valuable for a meaningful patient experience in direct care
• It is important to use language that patients/families understand (no scientific language)
• Commitment to build trusting relationships is the foundation for safe care
• Teach students the value of patient engagement (listen to patient voice, patients are partners) early in their careers to shape their attitudes and behaviors
• Treat patients as you would like to be treated

Example: "An invitation for life" participatory program

• The aim of the program is to translate main health concepts into "mothers' language" so mothers are empowered and enabled to engage in a friendly, informed and interactive learning experience
• Involves mothers, family members (fathers), teachers, and health-care professionals
• It is a participatory program using lectures and workshops, with no fee
• The program uses music, songs and mothers' stories to emphasize the message and reflection of the program
• Topics discussed include handwashing, medication safety, and incident prevention

Patient engagement with authorities at the organizational level

Stuart Croall, Dennis Maione, and Theresa Mrozek, Canada

• "Nothing about me without me" is the mantra for engaging patients in decisions and actions
• Sharing of patient stories using guidelines ensures that both story teller and authorities participate meaningfully and the experience results in reflection, learning, and improvement
• Patient representation as equal members of committees and working groups helps to set goals and to focus the initiatives on improvements that add value to patients

Example: IN SIXTY Initiative

• Goal: to reduce the time that a person waits between suspicion of cancer and first treatment to no longer than 60 days in a sustainable manner that improves the quality of the cancer patient experience
• Patient Participation Advisory Group, made up of 8 -10 advisors all with personal experience of cancer, provides feedback to the Steering Committee (2 advisors are full voting members), Working Groups and identifies patient needs
• Patient engagement took place after the initiative started and resulted in a shift in the initial goals (from time to treatment and technical aspects to quality of communication with patients and system stakeholders)
• Sharing patient stories with the Steering Committee
• Purpose: ensure focus is on the central role of patients in the initiative and healthcare, why engagement is integral and what the impact can be
• Challenges: audience engagement, focus on issues and technical details rather than listening and reflecting, awkward silence or insensitive comments at the end of sharing
• Solution: develop guidelines that set expectations for the interactions for both speaker and audience, protect patient from secondary harms, give committee permission to listen without guilt or blame, clarify purpose and goals of story sharing

Patient engagement with authorities at the system level

Dr Nor'Aishah Abu Bakar, Malaysia

• Patient engagement evolves in time: from speaking engagements to program and policy development and it spreads at various system levels
• Promoting patient engagement using various strategies to both care providers and patients is an essential component for improving patient safety
• Finding patient representatives that fit the specific collaborations with authorities is important
• Structures like Patients for Patient Safety Malaysia which is resourced and supported by system level authorities like Patient Safety Councils and the Ministry of Health is an important element for success
• Collaborations with stakeholders at all system levels (international and local organizations, as care givers and care receivers) helps build interest, maintain momentum and spread engagement and successes

Examples

• Patient engagement in patient safety programs developed by policy makers and health-care providers. E.g, hand hygiene compliance
• Patients for Patient Safety Malaysia (PFPSM) is a voluntary organization developed with support from the World Health Organization and the Ministry of Health to facilitate patient engagement.  PFPSM is part of the policy making Patient Safety Council and is involved in improving patient safety in hospitals
• Surgical safety: patient engagement in site/side identification, communication among team members and patients
• Medication safety: empower patients to know their medications, allergies

Since PFPSM was launched in April 2014, 14 pilot projects were initiated to improve safety in hospitals; they will be evaluated and models for implementation formulated

Speakers:

• Dr Nor'Aishah Abu Bakar, Ministry of Health, Malaysia
• Dr Jorge Cesar Martinez, Medicine School, Universidad de Salvador, Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Stuart Croall and Dennis Maione, Patient Advisors, In-Sixty, Manitoba, Canada
• Theresa Mrozek, Project Director, In-Sixty, Manitoba, Canada

Moderator:

Theresa Malloy-Miller, Patient Champion, Patients for Patient Safety Canada

For more information regarding this past event please contact info@patientsforpatientsafety.ca.