Category Archives: Conference

Deadline is Approaching

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Just a reminder that the deadline to submit your abstract for this year’s Quality Summit is on April 18th, 2018 at 11:59 p.m. MT. The theme of this year’s summit is “1 + 1 = 3,” with the goal being to create synergy to transform Alberta’s health system.

Abstracts will be accepted in the following two themes:

Stream 1: Transformation through Innovation

“This is for you rebels out there! Are you trying something completely new or different in your area; going boldly where no person has gone before? This stream is for you – we want to hear your radical ideas and emerging ways of how to improve care. You might only have limited results that your idea is on the right track, but we want to hear how you are breaking new ground, how you made it happen and what you believe is possible for the future! The summit is an opportunity to seek input, inspire collaboration, and motivate action at an early stage in your project.

The definition of innovation that we are hoping to showcase is: New ideas that oppose and contradict our accepted ways of delivering health care services.”

Stream 2: Successful Quality Improvement Projects

“If you have implemented a successful quality improvement project and want to show it off, this is the category for you! We want to hear about your evidence-based improvement projects for delivering healthcare services and advancing a culture of patient and family centered care. Your journey doesn’t necessarily need to be complete – just show us what you’ve done so far and what could be possible in the future.”

Click here to find out more.

***Remember, the deadline for submissions is April 18th, 2018 at 11:59 p.m. MT***

And So It Begins

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After months of hard work and planning, the 2017 Quality & Safety Summit is underway. If you are unable to attend the event in person, you can catch the livestream beginning October 31st at 8:30 a.m. http://www.albertahealthservices.ca/news/Page13765.aspx
Here is to a great summit!

Last Day: Patient Voices Wanted

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Canada Health Infoway will be hosting the 2017 Infoway Partnership Conference: Connecting for Digital Health, on November 14-15, 2017, in Calgary. The focus of the conference will be to explore and recognize the effect that digital health is having in the lives of Canadians.

In addition to health care leaders and people in the healthcare profession, Canada Health Infoway is seeking to bring patients to the table to discuss opportunities, challenges and solutions concerning health care delivery in Canada. Click here to read about the Patient Scholarships that are available. Deadline for scholarship applications is July 5, 2017.

Feed the Elephant

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In an earlier post, readers were invited to share any ideas they had concerning potential topics for the upcoming 2017 Quality Summit. Karla W. was one person who accepted this open invitation. Below is what she wrote.

“Over the past several years of [my] experience as a patient representative/advisor, the issue of remuneration for time spent as a “volunteer” has surfaced [during] discussions at the tables. Nationally, and provincially, it varies greatly (from zero – up) how organizations acknowledge patient advisors, as well [as how] different people on the same committees are acknowledged differently. I would like to encourage a discussion on this topic.”

Why not be like Karla and “feed” the elephant?

Is the Room Getting Smaller or the Elephant Getting Bigger?

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Continuing on from an earlier post, below are some additional advisor-related topics that have been suggested for this year’s Quality Summit 2017.

  • Diversity and Healthcare – This could include such things as gender, sexual orientation, culture, ethnicity, age, disability etc.  Diversity is a topic that applies to all populations, regardless of whether one is a patient, member of the community, healthcare provider, advisor, or healthcare professional.
  • Disparity and Healthcare – Socioeconomic status, poverty, accessibility and health/well-being.
  • Volunteer Burnout – What is volunteer burnout?  What causes volunteer burnout?  How can it be prevented?
  • What is the ideal healthcare system as seen from leadership, management, frontline staff, patient/family advisors.  What are the frustrations and barriers associated with realizing this ideal?
  • What is an effective partnership for patient/family advisors and AHS staff?
  • Why does storytelling matter and how could it help in connecting with the person before the patient?  Empathy vs. apathy.
  • Drawing from patient/family advisors across Canada, what are their frustrations, hopes, dreams and lessons learned with respect to their advisor role?
  • What are some advisory opportunities and innovative ideas and programs from Alberta and beyond?
  • What does meaningful involvement mean to patient/family advisors?
    “[T]he meaningful involvement of patient and family advisors with healthcare, (where meaningful means for everyone involved – the advisors, front-line providers, research, operations, senior mgmt, etc.)”
  • “To what extent are patient and family advisors meaningfully involved with healthcare?” (where ‘meaningful = having a serious, important or useful quality or purpose’ … and reference to meaningful means for all stakeholders involved – the advisors themselves, front-line providers, research, operations, senior mgmt, etc.)”

Quality Summit 2017 – Elephant in the Room

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Planning for the upcoming Quality Summit 2017 is underway. To this end, members of the Patients 4 Change (Pts4Chg) community were asked to provide their thoughts on what they would like to see at the summit. During a recent Pts4Chg community telephone chat, which focused on the Quality Summit 2017, one of the key ideas raised was the need to talk about the “elephant in the room,” as it relates to partnering with Patient/Family Advisors.

While it is true that these topics may be difficult to raise and cause some angst and discomfort when discussed, by pretending that such issues do not exist and hence failing to address the elephant in the room, genuine collaboration and engagement with advisors is not apt to occur.

Below are some of parts of the elephant the Pts4Chg community identified.

  • Devaluing advisors
  • Fear of including advisors
  • Wasting advisors’ time energy and experience
  • Exploitation versus engagement – When does inclusion become exploitation?
  • Partnership versus Tokenism
  • Ignoring advisors

Click here to read more from the recent Pts4Chg conversation. If you have any ideas, suggestions or comments pertaining the following four areas, you are welcome to reply as a response to this post.

  1. What advisor-related topics would you like to see included at the Summit?
  2. What speakers would you like to have as part of the advisors’ sessions?
  3. What format would you like to see for the advisors sessions? For example, formal presentation, workshops, breakout session, etc.?
  4. Other Comments

Gay Men’s Health Summit

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gay-mens-health-summit

The 2016 Gay Men’s Health Summit will be held at Simon Fraser University on November 9 and 10th, 2016. Over the two-day event, topics to be addressed include how technology and social media are helping to improve the health and well being of gay and bisexual individuals, challenges faced by trans men within the gay community, suicide prevention, racism, racial issues, and mental health. There will also be a workshop on the role Truth and Reconciliation recommendations can play in organizations. Click here to find out more about the Summit and to register for the event.

Quality Summit 2016

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quality summit 2016

What are you doing on Oct-24-25? Why not attend the 2nd annual Quality SUMMIT-INSPIRE ACTION TOGETHER.

Date: October 24-25th
Time: Oct 24- 7:30 a.m. (registration) – 4:00 p.m.
Oct 25- 7:00 a.m. (registration) – 4:30 p.m.
Place: MacEwan Conference and Event Centre; University of Calgary; Calgary, Alberta

This event will see patients and healthcare providers coming together to:
* Inspire each other to change and improve our healthcare system
* Create a connection point for us to take action on our good ideas
* Together solve the problems and plan for the future

This conference is open to AHS and non-AHS staff, nurses, clinicians, allied health staff, patient and family advisors, administrators, quality and other health care providers. Registration begins today and space is limited.

Click on the following link and you will be taken to the registration page.
http://www.cvent.com/events/quality-summit-2016/event-summary-bc9d45c1dffb4462b38697e7102b9b35.aspx

Our Presentation

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Jess and DebAs mentioned in the previous post, Pts4Chg was presenting today at the International Institute for Patient and Family Centred Care (IPFCC) conference in New York City. The presentation entitled, “Bridging the Disconnected: Empowering Advisors for Change Through Social Media,” was well attended and well received, both at the conference and in the Twittersphere. According to participants and presenters, the level of enthusiasm, energy and engagement was high.

Below are just a few of the tweets sent out during the session.

Thank you to everyone who attended the session in person or virtually. Special thanks go to Kirsten, Holly, Shannon and Jamie. Your efforts made live tweeting the event possible. Thanks so much.