Patients as Partners
Patients as Partners, first outlined in the 2007 Primary Health Charter, is both a policy and philosophy of the British Columbia Ministry of Health. The work is guided by a provincial committee and carried out through organizations and agencies in the community.
The unofficial motto of Patients as Partners is “nothing about me without me.” The guiding principle is that patients should always be partners in health care: collaborating with health care professionals to improve their health as an individual, and having a voice in how health care is delivered in BC.
It’s important to note that the word “patient” here includes the individual receiving direct care, as well as family and friend caregivers who interact with health care professionals and the health system. These individuals have a unique perspective on the health care system that is different from the provider, health care worker, or administrator.
Three Areas of Focus
The work itself is guided by the following three improvement priorities.
- Individual Care
supports and improves the ability of patients to communicate clearly with health care providers, ensuring they have the skills and knowledge to manage their own health and make healthy lifestyle choices. Health care providers are also supported to respond to issues of literacy, culture, and empowering the patient to be at the centre of care. - System Redesign
involves patient voices, patient experience, patient diversity and the patient perspective in the work being done to improve the BC health care system. - Bringing in the Community
ensures that communities have a voice in deciding how care is organized and how local needs are addressed. As changes are made in the overall health care system, each community will implement and experience them differently.
Patients as Partners and Impact BC
ImpactBC provides the following support for Patients as Partners:
- Quality improvement consultation and coaching in support of the three priorities (Individual Care, System Redesign and Bringing in the Community)
- Sharing the BC Patients as Partners’ work nationally and internationally in publications and at conferences.
- The Patient Voices Network is led by ImpactBC in collaboration with Patients as Partners, building and supporting a community of British Columbians who wish to apply their experiences and collaborate in the process of health care transformation.