Compassionate. Collaborative. Responsive to individual patient needs and preferences.
Those hallmarks of good care are at the core of a pair of new videos from UHN Patient Experience, which feature patients reflecting on what is important to them in their partnerships with care providers.
"I always felt that my needs were being put first," says Ann McGuire, a UHN Patient Partner, who shares the story of what she calls "a true miracle" – her double lung transplant at Toronto General Hospital nearly 10 years ago. "It was the whole team that made me feel safe and secure."
Patient Experience represents UHN's commitment to being compassionate, collaborative and responsive to individual patient needs and preferences.
The teams within UHN Patient Experience are available to provide support across all sites to enhance partnerships with patients and family caregivers and work closely with them to ensure UHN is providing high-quality and safe care experiences.
Ways you can strengthen your relationships with patients and caregivers:
- Introduce yourself and your role to each patient you care for
- Instead of asking patients "do you have any questions?" ask them, "what questions do you have?" and wait for the response.
- Find out what matters most to patients in their care experience, and follow through.
- Refer patients and caregivers to the
Patient Partners program at UHN
"It is really important to connect with patients so you can provide the best level of care," says Dr. Srikala Sridhar, a Medical Oncologist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. "If you understand your patient, you know what's important to them, so then you're better able to tailor the treatment according to that person."
Danelle Smith vividly remembers her diagnosis with Stage 4 breast cancer and discusses the vital role her UHN care team played in not only her treatment but also her outlook.
"Your self-worth is immeasurably better because someone else is fighting for you, you've got someone else on your team," Danelle, also a UHN Patient Partner, says in the video telling her story. "The level of professionalism, compassion, caring is very high. You feel safer as a patient.
"It makes you feel like you're being heard and you're being valued and that your life matters."
