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.)”