Amplifying the Patient’s Voice

Martha’s Rule is a new policy that aims to give patients and the patient’s families greater voice in the the care their loved one is receiving without the fear of retribution or the like. Had this rule existed in 2021, perhaps Martha’s outcome would have been very different.

As Martha’s mother said, “‘I desperately wish that I’d felt able, with no fear of being the target of ill-temper or condescension, to ask for a second opinion from outside the liver team when I became concerned about Martha’s deterioration.’”

Click here to read about Martha’s Rule.

Home to Hospital to Home

If you are free on Friday, March 5th, 2021 from 11 a.m. – 12 p.m., (MT) why not join in the conversation about the home to hospital to home transition. What role can patients, family, and caregivers play in this transition?
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/patient-and-family-hospital-transition-guideline-orientation-tickets-140172582969?keep_tld=1

Patient-Oriented Research Podcasts

If you are interested in Patient-Oriented Research, why not join Beverley Pomeroy and Lisa Ridgeway for SPORCast? This bi-weekly podcast discusses the Standards for Patient-Oriented Research from the west coast of Canada. To listen to previous podcasts and more, including the conversation with Andre Picard, check out the SPORCast podcast page.

“Let’s Get Real…”

If you are free on Thursday, October 10th from 10 a.m.-11 a.m. MT, you may wish to attend this free webinar. Based on the description of the session, it is going to be time well spent. Register here.

Join patient partners and thought leaders in an engaging panel discussion on the value of patient and family partnerships. Learn first-hand about what works well for partnering with patients and families, what doesn’t and tips for collaborating on your system transformation and organizational quality improvement initiatives. This webinar features panelists who have a range of collaboration experience, including at organizational, health system and policy maker levels.

Good Reminder

If you are interacting with patients, here is something important you might want to remember.

Who Needs to be Transparent?


There is much discussion around the need for transparency in the healthcare sector, with patient advocacy groups being a strong voice in this discussion. However, what about their own transparency?

“Pharmaceutical companies gave at least $116 million to patient advocacy groups in a single year, reveals a new database logging 12,000 donations from large publicly traded drugmakers to such organizations….

The database, called “Pre$cription for Power,” shows that donations to patient advocacy groups tallied for 2015 — the most recent full year in which documents required by the Internal Revenue Service were available — dwarfed the total amount the companies spent on federal lobbying. The 14 companies that contributed $116 million to patient advocacy groups reported only about $63 million in lobbying activities that same year.

Click here to read the full article.

Cast Your Vote

Currently, we are seeking your response in terms of how you want your healthcare supported. Please consider casting your vote and letting your voice be heard.

Are You Dancing With Your Healthcare Provider?

In this video, Sarah Krüg uses the analogy of the continuous give and take in the “Tango” to illustrate the foundation of balanced partnership and connection that can exist between patient and physician. Unfortunately, this dance may not be occurring for some patients. As one member of the Patients 4 Change community stated, “To date, there are multiple songs playing at the same time, with each one having a different beat. Suffice it to say, my feet are very sore from being stepped on.” What kind of dance do you share with your healthcare providers?

Highlights from #WMTY17

The global campaign entitled, “What Matters to You” was held on Tuesday, June 6, 2017. In addition to a number of events happening in various locales around the world, there was plenty of action occurring online. In addition to interactive blogs, the Twittersphere saw many #WMTY17-related tweets flying about. Below are just a few of the tweets shared. Thanks to everyone who participated in this campaign. Let’s keep asking the question, “What Matters to You?”