Calling All Albertans

Are you are resident of Alberta? Are you interested in helping to improve the healthcare system in Alberta? If so, why not become a member of the Health Quality Council of Alberta’s Patient and Family Advisor Committee. Click here to find out more.

Deadline to apply is March 18th, 2018.

What’s Important to Seniors’ Health in Alberta?

Do you live or work in the province of Alberta and are you:

  • an older adult (65 years of age and over),
  • a caregiver of an older adult (spouse; family member; friend; neighbour), or
  • a clinician or health/social care provider (doctor; nurse; care aides; allied health provider; pharmacist; social worker) working with older adults?

If so, the Scientific Office of Alberta’s Seniors Health Strategic Clinical Network invites you to complete the following survey. By responding to the survey, you will be helping to determine the direction/priorities for future research and initiatives in the area of seniors’ health.

Wanted: Awesome People

Are you an awesome person?
Do you live in Alberta?
Are you interested in improving surgical care provided to Albertans?
If so, here is an opportunity for you…..

“The Surgery Strategic Clinical Network is seeking members for the new Provincial Working Groups in Surgery described in the 2018-2021 Alberta Surgery Plan.
There are three Working Groups available:

  • Access to Surgical Care
  • Surgical Safety & Quality
  • Surgical Analytics

We’re looking for people who are committed to improving surgical care provided to Albertans. We need people from all five AHS Zones including citizens, patients and family members, hospital specialists and primary care physicians, nurses and allied health, operations and support staff and others. Members must be willing and able to work as a team to develop innovative, practical and feasible solutions to the most important problems facing our system. Members will bring their own experiences to the table but must also be willing and able to think about the provincial system as a whole. Previous experience in quality improvement would be an asset but is not essential.”

Click here to read the full call.

Protocol prohibits transplant

Delilah Saunders is critically ill and requires a liver transplant. Unfortunately, she has been deemed ineligible based on a past history of alcohol use. What are your thoughts about this decision and the associated protocol?

Click here to read the story.

Health Canada Is Seeking Your Input

Health Canada is modernizing its approach to disclosing clinical information on drugs and medical devices to support advances in medical science and help improve patient care. Today, Health Canada published draft regulations in Canada Gazette l that propose to make clinical information in drug and medical device submissions publicly available after the Department has completed its regulatory review process.

Click here to continue reading.

Share Your Experience


Do you or someone you know have glaucoma?
Did you or someone you know have an operation related to this disease?
If you answered “Yes.” to the above questions, you might be interested in the following opportunity to share your experience. Below are the details sent to Pts4Chg by CADTH.

CADTH is an independent, not-for-profit organization. CADTH reviews health technologies to help health care decision-makers, patients, health care professionals, health systems leaders, and policy-makers make well-informed decisions and improve the quality of health care services

CADTH researchers are currently planning a review of minimally invasive glaucoma surgery, as compared with other ways to manage glaucoma. They will be doing a comprehensive literature review of patient and caregiver perspectives on glaucoma surgery, in addition to assessing trials on clinical and cost effectiveness.

To help CADTH develop the plan for the research and provide CADTH researchers with the patient perspective into glaucoma and surgery, we would like to hear from individuals who have experience with glaucoma treatments (including surgery). We are looking for volunteers to review our plan and comment on whether we have captured all the important aspects of diagnosis and care from a patient’s perspective.
CADTH would send the volunteers the draft plan for the project, (it’s a 3-page document) and then we would schedule an informal telephone call to discuss the project and make sure we are covering all the issues that are important to patients. The summary notes from the call will be sent to you for your approval before it is shared with CADTH researchers. Your name will be removed from the summary and anything you wish to have removed from the summary notes will be deleted.

CADTH hopes conversations like these will benefit future patients who experience the same condition and that the results of the review and any recommendations that come from it will better reflect the needs of patients if patients like you are consulted in the development of our work.

Thank you for considering to speak to CADTH about your experiences with glaucoma. For more information, or to volunteer please contact: Tamara Rader TamaraR@cadth.ca

Join the Roster

Are you a socially conscious person with an interest in helping Alberta’s regulated health professions govern their members in a manner that protects and serves the public interest? Are you looking for a new and exciting opportunity to support the complaint and disciplinary responsibilities of the various college councils and associations that govern Alberta’s regulated health professions?

If so, Alberta Health is looking for you to become a member of the Roster of Public Members. Click here for more information. Deadline to apply for this opportunity is August 31, 2017.

Today is the last day to have your say.

The College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) and its key partners, Choosing Wisely Canada and the Canadian Cancer Action Network, are dedicated to supporting family doctors in providing the best possible care to their patients and communities. Their goal is to help patients feel comfortable asking questions and having conversations with their family doctor, making the clinical office environment a ‘safe zone’.

Related to this, are questions such as:
1. What does a ‘safe zone’ mean to you?
2. What is important to you in your interactions with your family doctor?

To assist in the creation of a “safe zone” for all, you are invited to participate in the College of Family Physicians of Canada survey.
Please note that the survey closes on Monday, August 21st, 2017.

Your Input is Wanted

Are you…

  • Interested in improving the patient experience in emergency departments?;
  • Available on Tuesday, August 29th from 9:00 a.m. – 12 p.m.?
  • Iin the Edmonton area that day?.

If you answered “Yes” to the above questions, the Emergency Strategic Clinical Network and the Grey Nuns Community Hospital are looking for you. Click here for more details.

Last Day: Patient Voices Wanted

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.