Healthcare Management Forum

Innovation in patient engagement and empowerment has been identified as a priority area in the Canadian healthcare system. This article describes the development and implementation of the We Should Talk campaign at an academic pediatric hospital. Through the use of a guiding theoretical framework and a multidisciplinary project team, a multimedia campaign was designed to inspire staff, patients and families to effectively communicate to improve patient safety. The We Should Talk campaign provides a case study for how an organization can foster frontline improvement through the engagement of patient, families, and healthcare providers.

A recent study of two Community Care Access Centres in Ontario was conducted to look at how clients can be involved in their own care while, at the same time, enhance their experience overall. This article describes that study and looks at ways of developing a new client engagement strategy moving forward.

This article looks at home care in Ontario and its role as a foundation for a sustainable healthcare system in the future. Beginning with the history and evolution of the service delivery model, it examines current challenges and opportunities to unleash the potential of home care within a more integrated model for patient-centred care for the future. An in-depth look at how to better coordinate, integrate, and fund care for patients is highlighted.

This article examines the implementation of the strategy and Integrated Client Care Program, a multi-level health system strategy to break down the barriers in a solid health system and a program to integrate care for populations with the most complex needs. Specific reference is made to two specialized programs, older adults with complex care needs and a palliative care program whose goal is to meet the needs of patients and their families in a community setting.

Precision medicine aims to fix what is wrong with today’s healthcare: a lack of targeted interventions tailored to the person. It encompasses many aspects of health; chief among these is one’s genetic profile. Researchers are making progress as gene-sequencing technologies get better and cheaper. Although there is cause for optimism, as several initiatives at Sunnybrook Research Institute show, scientific, systemic, and logistical challenges must be surmounted before advances can be integrated into the clinic. Despite these barriers, precision medicine is the only way forward.

Value-based healthcare models are being adopted globally to maximize value for patients. Given that procurement is at the heart of purchasing value, value-based procurement goes hand in hand with value-based healthcare. Shifting procurement’s traditional focus on short-term cost savings to a more holistic objective that includes health system performance and patient outcomes, giving preference to longer-term cost efficiencies, and working with suppliers to identify opportunities to develop more innovative products and services, is proving successful in leading jurisdictions. This article presents an overview of value within healthcare systems and how healthcare value-based procurement is being implemented across various jurisdictions.

Choices to live “at risk” are complex and challenging and can be structured by organizational policy. Some individuals genuinely wish to live in situations that are, or are perceived to be, high risk because this affords them an important benefit. However, it is likely that these choices are significantly affected by context and might not be made under different circumstances. The following argues for a responsibility to be attentive to the effects of organizational decisions on choices to live at risk and the overall distribution of risk.

Les choix de vivre « à risque » sont complexes et difficiles. Ils peuvent être structurés par les politiques organisationnelles. Certaines personnes veulent vraiment vivre dans des situations à haut risque ou perçues comme telles parce qu’elles en tirent un avantage important. Cependant, il est probable que ces choix dépendent en grande partie du contexte et qu’ils ne se soient pas posés dans une autre situation. L’article plaide pour la responsabilité d’être attentif aux effets des décisions organisationnelles sur les choix de vivre à risque et sur la répartition globale du risque.