Media Alert - Can patient-family centred care improve the healthcare system?

OTTAWA, July 31, 2014 /CNW Telbec/ - More than 300 Canadian and international healthcare experts, patients and family members will present research on the tough challenges every hospital and healthcare organization must face including:  reducing medical errors, upholding the rights of patients and improving outcomes.

WHAT:	Bold new approaches to patient and family centred care will be in the spotlight at the 6th International Conference on Patient- and Family-Centered Care: Partnerships for Quality and Safety. This is the first time this highly respected conference has been held in Canada.
WHEN:	August 6-8, 2014
WHERE:	Westin Bayshore Hotel 1601 Bayshore Dr, Vancouver BC
EVENT:	This conference will bring to light the significant improvements that are now happening because health care professionals are including patients and their families in the decision-making process including: Reducing errors: how frontline staff at one Montreal-based hospital partnered with patients in redesigning care at the bedside resulting in major reduction in errors and more time in caring for the patient Family presence during resuscitation: a Calgary-based hospital outlines the evidence supporting the presence of family members regardless of outcome. Story of courage: The compelling story of TedX speaker Leilani Schweitzer who now works as a patient liaison in risk management at the same hospital where her son died from a series of medical errors. Mental health internet: How one Vancouver hospital took the bold step of creating a resource linking patients, families and healthcare workers around a health issue many don't like to talk about.

Hosted by the Institute for Patient- and Family-Centered Care, in partnership with the Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement (CFHI) and Providence Health Care of British Columbia, this conference will explore challenging issues and provide solutions to problems affecting healthcare today.

SOURCE: Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement

Elissa Freeman, Cell: 416-565-5605/[email protected]; Holly Roy - Western Canada Media, Cell: 780.991.2323/[email protected]