Today is International "What Matters to You?" Day!

We’re excited to join partners around the world in supporting International “What Matters to You?” Day!

International “What Matters to You?” Day started in Norway in 2014, with the goal of encouraging meaningful conversations between patients, caregivers, families, and their health care providers. Asking a simple question can have a big impact on quality of care. When providers start a conversation about what really matters to their patients, it helps build trusting relationships. Plus, patients’ preferences as well as person- and family-centred care are prioritized.

And when those things happen, some pretty amazing stories can emerge. Here are a few which have been shared with us recently.

Asking "What Matters to You?" in Kidney Care

Here in BC, Registered Nurse Lianne Berst shared her story about asking “What matters to you?” at the kidney clinic at Kamloops’ Royal Inland Hospital.

The clinic’s team asks the question before discussing medical treatments, which opens the door to honest conversations about care that helps its patients feel heard. In Lianne's "What Matters to You?" story, she explains why this took on added importance when the clinic responded to COVID-19.

Read Lianne's Story

Understanding My Stay

Read the Story

How Patient Partners Add Invaluable Insight to Care

The Measurement System for Physician Quality Improvement aims to make data accessible to support both physician quality improvement and health system planning decisions. Its Quality Measures Group routinely asks patient partners, "What matters to you?" - read on to find out how their answers have guided how the group will be measuring patients' experiences and outcomes.

Read the Story

A Letter to My Daughter

And in case you missed it, last month we shared a letter written by Katie Cochran, a Registered Nurse living in Vancouver who works in pediatrics and has a passion for person- and family-centred care. She’s a mother to a vibrant 15-month-old who is always keeping Katie on her toes. Katie wrote this letter to her daughter while reflecting on her learnings about "What Matters to You?"

Read Katie's Letter

Join the "What Matters to You?" Day Celebrations!

Join Our Twitter Chat Today at 11:30 am
Later this morning, we’ll be diving into “What Matters to You?” with a Twitter Chat. We'll cover a range of topics and would love to hear from you. Learn more and add it to your calendar - we hope to see you there! 

Download and Order 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 buttons, lanyards, posters, graphics, videos, PDF documents and templates that make it easy. Simply download them from our website or use our order form to request free resources.

Share Your Stories
Join us to help spread kindness and compassion by sharing your stories of when you were asked what mattered by a care provider or when, as a care provider, you asked what mattered to a patient, family, or caregiver.

Use the hashtags #WMTYBC and #WMTY21 on Twitter or tell us your story - we'll be sharing them today and beyond. Our hope is that these stories will inspire you to take the time to ask someone, "What matters to you?"