By PATIENT VOICES NETWORK
Do you have recent experience receiving health care services or helping a loved one navigate the health care system? Are you interested in sharing insights and information about your experiences to inspire positive changes? The Patient Voices Network (PVN) wants to hear from you!
The PVN is a B.C.-wide community of patients, families and caregivers that volunteer their time to partner with health care staff on quality improvement, patient safety and service redesign initiatives.
Patients often see and experience the health care system differently from those who work within it. The inclusion of patient voices provides new perspectives and greater understanding for both patient and health care partners, leading to more informed decisions. There is a growing need for patient volunteers who are ready, willing and able to partner with health care staff, share their perspectives and bring meaningful change to the system.
Each volunteer opportunity is unique and gives patient partners the chance to apply based on their interests, skills and experiences. For example, recent engagement opportunities in the Island Health region include: enhancing and expanding virtual care as an advisor, assisting in a knowledge translation project on medically assistance in dying and participating on a steering committee tasked with the creation of a primary care network.
There are frequent opportunities for patient partners to join working groups, be a part of focus groups, review patient education material, and share their patient experience stories at conferences or continuing education events. While some opportunities in the province require (expense-paid) travel to major city centres, participation is often possible via phone or videoconference.
New Members Welcome
Any B.C. resident is invited to join PVN as a patient partner, as each person has a unique experience of interacting with the health care system and can contribute a different perspective to conversations about care. We are particularly keen to connect with those who bring a rural and remote perspective to health care services. An orientation session on Salt Spring Island will be scheduled in summer 2018.
Ready to sign up?
The process to start volunteering is very simple. All you have to do is sign up as a patient partner on the Patient Voices Network website, attend an orientation session and choose the engagement opportunities you’d like to participate in.
For more information, connect with PVN:
• @PatientVoicesBC – Twitter
• https://www.facebook.com/PatientVoicesBC – Facebook
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/PatientVoicesBC – LinkedIn
• Kira Tozer – Southern Vancouver Island engagement leader — ktozer@bcpsqc.ca or 250-888-4525