Tonight I chaired a meeting of a committee to select the recipient of the third annual Award of Excellence for Patient and Family Centred Care at the hospital where Malcolm was born and receives all of his care, the IWK. Winner(s) will be announced at the IWK AGM on October 24. I helped start this award on my first year on the then-new IWK Family Leadership Council as a way to recognize and promote family-centred care.
A lot of people questions what this means and assume that great hospitals like the IWK are already doing this...which they are, to a certain extent.
What we're trying to promote is involving patients and families in making decisions about their care - collaborating with them rather than sharing recommendations and decisions after all the discussion has taken place. This includes things like communicating information to patients or families in a way that is easily understood, including patient and families in making key decisions regarding care, ensuring families are included in multi-professional rounds and supporting them in participating in those rounds, and understanding the needs of patients and their families.
This will likely be my last year of involvement with this award. Malcolm's health issues have subsided so I will likely focus my volunteer time on other activities once he's in the school system. It's been a great feeling to help establish the award and influence who receives it. It has been especially great to read all of the nominations that come in and learn about so many dedicated caregivers who are really doing their best to support patients and families.
Mary Ellen
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