Dear Colleagues,
With patient-centered care initiatives well underway at UHN, I wanted to take this opportunity to update you on our progress, and to thank you for your outstanding commitment to adopting the patient's perspective on what matters most in their health care.
Led by Mary Ferguson-Paré, UHN's patient-centered care initiative has raised awareness and increased education about PCC principles and practices dramatically at our hospitals. More than 1,000 staff have attended the introductory lunchtime seminar (now titled "Myths and Misconceptions"). In addition, more than 200 have completed an eight-week course that provides in-depth education and realistic training to help staff develop skills they can put into practice at the bedside.
Also as part of the PCC initiative, five key efforts are underway at UHN: Patient Education, Patient Safety, Pain Management, Patient Diversity, and Patient-Provider Communication. These integrated efforts are helping to provide staff with skills and information in areas that are crucial to overall patient satisfaction.
We've also updated our Human Resources' hiring criteria, to help us identify and attract candidates who have the kinds of patient-centered care skills that will make a positive contribution to the workplace and patient care. With the increased focus on PCC knowledge and skills, Human Resources has also acknowledged this change in focus by including an area of the performance review process, where employees can share their efforts and development in this area with their supervisors.
With each of these initiatives, UHN has taken another step towards becoming patient-centered. It's taken everyone's support to see this progress continue, and already, we've begun to see the positive results. As you know, earlier this year, UHN improved its patient satisfaction scores by 2 per cent, based on a random sample of surveys completed by patients between July and September 2004. The latest quarterly report shows that this upward trend is continuing, based on data gathered from January to March 2005. The next barometer of our progress will come in the form of the Ontario Hospital Association-Ministry of Health & Long Term Care Hospital reports, which we expect to see in the fall. These reports will present similar data, viewed in a different way and offering us a perspective on how we are faring in comparison to other teaching hospitals in the GTA and the province.
I want to thank you for your outstanding efforts, and congratulate you on the encouraging response we've seen so far. As you continue to focus on patient-centered interactions in your day-to-day activities, I will do my best to make sure that our resources and structures continue to support these efforts.
Again in 2005/06, one of our key corporate objectives is to improve patient satisfaction by an additional 2 per cent. But the numbers are less important than renewing our commitment as an organization to this shared goal of improving the patient experience. With your ongoing dedication, I am confident that we will continue to see a culture shift in our hospitals, and with it, a gradual improvement in patient satisfaction scores.
Bob
