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

We’ve encouraged health care providers and patients to have “what matters to you?” conversations each and every day over the past year. Now International “What Matters to You?” Day has almost arrived, and we’ll get together to celebrate the meaningful partnerships that asking the question has helped form!

Join us tomorrow on a webinar to hear Joan Chaya and Damara Gutnick, from New York’s Montefiore Hudson Valley Collaborative, share how they championed the spread of “What Matters to You?” across a vast provider network in the state. They’ll talk about the relationship between “What Matters to You?” and joy at work, and how asking the question affects the patient experience.

Attend the webinar tomorrow at 8:00 am, using the password WMTY19.

Doing What Matters

In a previous newsletter, we shared tips about asking and listening to what matters – now it’s time for us to share ways in which health care providers can do what matters so that they are prepared to act.

Health care providers can begin by asking what matters in different ways

• What is important to you right now?
• For your care, what’s your ideal scenario?
• What can I do to best support you in your care today?
• What are your goals and how can I help you achieve them?

Next, care providers can educate patients and ensure they have all the necessary information to make informed decisions about their care. This empowers patients!

Health care providers can also do what matters by sharing patients’ care preferences and results within their interdisciplinary teams, which can be easily done within team huddles and care conferences.

Head to page 15 of our Guide to Having Conversations About What Matters to learn more!

Nominations for the 2020 Quality Awards are now open! The BC Patient Safety & Quality Council, which administers PVN, started the Quality Awards in 2009 to celebrate people and projects that improved health care across BC.

There’s one Quality Award category in particular which may interest you: the Leadership in Advancing the Patient Voice award celebrates a patient, caregiver or family member who made an outstanding contribution to patient engagement in BC’s health care system. They took the lead to inspire and support other patients, caregivers, family members and health care organizations to partner in pursuit of better care. Past winners include PVN Patient Partners Chad Dickie, Isabel Jordan and Delia Cooper.

Additional categories celebrate a Leader in Quality, an Everyday Champion and a Quality Culture Trailblazer, as well as projects in each of the four areas of care as defined by the BC Health Quality Matrix. .

Award winners will receive a $2,500 sponsorship to help support and disseminate learning from their projects or to support ongoing learning and development. They will also be recognized during an awards ceremony at the Council's Health Talks event in February 2020.

Submit nominations by July 12, and there is a webinar next week if you’d like tips on how to write them.

Canada Health Infoway is offering scholarships for patients, caregivers and family members who would like to attend the 2019 Infoway Partnership Conference in Ottawa in November. This is a fantastic opportunity for those who are passionate about digital health!

Learn more and apply by June 12.