A fundamental shift has taken place in our healthcare system – a shift that moves health care teams from doing something for or to a patient to partnering with the patient in her or his care. This model is known as Patient and Family Centred Care, and extends beyond the care setting to the organization’s decision-making tables.
The core principles of Patient and Family Centred Care are dignity and respect, information sharing, participation, and collaboration. The benefits of Patient and Family Centred Care are increased quality of care, enhanced patient safety, and higher satisfaction, among both patients and staff.
As an organization, KDH identified patient and Family Centred Care as a guiding principle a number of years ago, and we are committed to partnering with patients, both in their care and in the design, delivery, evaluation and improvement of our health services.
We wrote a Patient and Family Engagement Strategy to guide us in that work. An important part of the strategy is our campaign called ‘The Patient Experience Starts Here’, which is designed to further embed a culture of Patient and Family Centred Care at KDH. Click here for details on our campaign.
As part of our campaign, we’ve made two videos celebrating Patient and Family Centred Care at KDH:
- The Patient Experience Starts Here: What That Means to Me
- The Patient Experience Starts Here: Culture In Action
The KDH Patient and Family Advisory Committee
We have an active group of Patient and Family Advisors, who volunteer their time reviewing or helping create educational or informational materials, working on short-term projects, participating in committee work, and more. We are proud to have a Patient and Family Advisor helping to govern KDH as a member of our Board of Directors.
To learn more about becoming a Patient and Family Advisor at KDH, please call 613.258.6133 ext. 222 or email PFAC@kdh.on.ca.
