Patient and Citizen Innovation Council in family practice.

PROBLEM ADDRESSED: Patient engagement is integral to the Patient's Medical Home model. Patient-centred care is more than what happens in the examination room. Decisions around clinic processes, work flow, and initiative prioritization also warrant a patient perspective. OBJECTIVE OF PROGRAM: The Academic Family Medicine Clinic at the South Health Campus in Calgary, Alta, identified a need for patient and community advisory expertise regarding clinic initiatives and quality improvement. A council was proposed to engage patients and citizens in exploring meaningful ways to drive innovation and improve the care experience. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: The Academic Family Medicine Clinic partnered with the South Health Campus Patient and Family Centred Care staff in developing a dedicated family medicine patient and community council. The resulting committee of 6 volunteers and 3 staff members has delivered presentations to incoming family medicine residents and staff on the role of a patient advisory council; advised on methodology to collect and represent broad patient perspectives; provided patient-perspective input to operations management and quality improvement committees; developed a pilot patient satisfaction and experience survey; and brought additional perspective, based on learnings from other industries and professions with experience in "customer service," on how to enhance the quality of the patient experience.
CONCLUSION: A patient advisory council has the potential to reach beyond simple patient engagement toward functional involvement in decision making about clinic operations. Copyright© the College of Family Physicians of Canada.