New "What Matters to You?" Results are Out!

Asking “What matters to you?” is a simple and effective way for health care providers to engage with patients to better understand what is important for them in their care.

To support these meaningful conversations between patients and providers, the BC Patient Safety & Quality Council, which administers PVN, launched a provincial program to encourage providers to ask the question and ensure care is aligned with what matters to patients and their families.

In 2018/19, more than 300 partners participated in the program, and their accomplishments are outlined in a new “What Matters to You?” Evaluation Report.

In addition to highlighting the incredible demand for "What Matters to You?" resources – 54,696 were ordered in the year! – the report includes feedback from health care partners on how they’ll be embedding "What Matters to You?" in what they do. Examples include adding posters to waiting areas and redesigning information materials to reflect patients’ suggestions.

In a recent survey, 88% of health care providers who responded felt that asking
“What matters to you?” positively impacted their relationship with patients and families, while 100% of patients, family members and caregivers said that being asked the question made them feel valued. The report features several stories from health care providers who used their creativity to ensure they addressed what mattered to patients:

 "We make it a priority to understand the family's approach to caring for their loved one and we do this by asking 'What matters to you?'. For example, there was a family member who wanted to ensure their dad had an opportunity to vote even though he was in the hospital. We understood that it is the patient's right to vote and we made it a point to think outside the box on how to make this happen." (Health care provider, evaluation survey, December 2018) 

Read the report to learn more about “What Matters to You?” and the Council’s future plans for the initiative.

Read the Report

We're Featured in the New Episode of SPORcast 

The latest episode of SPORcast – Canada’s first patient-led podcast on patient-oriented research – includes an interview with Christina Krause, the BC Patient Safety & Quality Council’s CEO!

In a friendly chat with patient partners Bev Pomeroy and Lisa Ridgway, Christina shared why she’s so passionate about her work and where she thinks patient engagement, safety and health quality are going.

Listen to the podcast.

Should We Be Testing Doctors for Empathy?

This recent Quartz article discusses the idea of testing physicians for empathy. According to the article, research shows that highly empathetic doctors have better patient outcomes and a stronger sense of personal well-being. The article was a favourite amongst our Twitter followers in October – find out why.