Today is International "What Matters to You?" Day

“What matters to you?” is a simple question that can have a big impact on quality of care. When providers have conversations about what really matters to patients, caregivers and families, they build meaningful relationships and advance person- and family-centred care.

On the ninth annual International "What Matters to You?" Day, the province of British Columbia has once again issued a proclamation recognizing the importance of this person- and family-centred approach to care.

What Matters to Indigenous Patient Partners
In celebration of International “What Matters to You?” Day last year, we hosted an event which asked Indigenous patient partners what mattered to them when participating in culturally safe patient engagement opportunities. Following the event we created two resources which support health care partners to put cultural safety and humility into practice when engaging with Indigenous Peoples. Download the resources.

Download Resources
We’ve created a number of resources to help you spread the word about “What Matters to You?” in your workplace, school or community! We’ve got posters, graphics, videos and more that make it easy.

Humanizing Health Care, One Question at a Time

Asking "What Matters to You?" in Diabetes Care
Christy Boyce, a Virtual Health Learning Consultant supported the design of new, virtual Diabetes Self-Management classes at Fraser Health. She had the transformative experience of holding patient focus groups to understand the patient experience of these classes. She slowed down to ask, “What matters to you the most when you come to a health care education session?”

Read Christy's Story

Asking Patient Partners What Matters to Them
Two Patient Voices Network patient partners shared their experiences when they were asked, “What matters to you?” Cyndi Peal and Herman White from Bella Bella shared that being asked the question made them feel less stressed and more welcome. Michel White from Abbotsford reflects on how she often flips the question by asking her health care providers what matters to them!

Read Their Stories

Why Asking "What Matters to You?" Matters
Institute for Healthcare Improvement President and CEO Kedar Mate recently wrote a compelling story for their blog on how he went from a “What Matters to You?” sceptic to full-blown advocate.

“In other words, asking what matters — making a patient feel part of the process and prioritizing their thoughts, needs, and concerns — is part of the healing process.”

Read Kedar's Story