Interesting tips and details of curriculum used by this group of researchers in the US to locate and orient patient partners. Some of this might be useful to us in the research area.

[A Former User]

When on HQO (Health Quality Ontario) PFAC, a small team of us worked with UHNOpenLab and HQO to create a tool that we felt would help patients / patient advisors increase health literacy and enable them to navigate the system

Topics include - Role of the Governments, different kinds of services / settings eg LTC, Primary Care etc, Rights of Patients, Roles of Patients, The types of workers in the system, funding, Emerging trends etc

Although this tool is finally "ready" - the Ministry has asked HQO to hold off posting this tool to their website while they "continue to review their process".

Hopefully HQO will get a green light from the Ministry soon!

[A Former User]

I’m a little late for this discussion but I think it can depend on the committee. For something like Samira talks about, HQO PFAC, orientations can be quite involved. A PowerPoint presentation or adobe presentation hitting on the basics of the HQO PFAC topics, roles and responsibilities as an in person presentation, and it’s also good review for all committee members. To back this up an online reference binder or reference files providing the details for people to read in their own time.

Patients first act

excellent care for all act

abbreviations list

Tor and strategic plan

HQO QIP

Accreditation

other applicable legislation

The list can be very long for a reference binder but extremely useful to a new member.

[A Former User]

I know a lot of orgs do an orientation but in my experience they don't really get into how to be an effective advisor. I'm thinking of things like:

• what to do when you feel you are in a tokenistic spot? Do you leave, get angry, stick it out?

• How to you pick elements of your story that might be relevent to the task at hand?

• How can you go about getting the back ground and info you need to do the job?

• How do you broach the topics of reimbursement and compensation?

I have not found any training or orientation yet that covers this in this way from the peer perspective. Alies

[A Former User]

Alies,

i recommend looking at Health Quality Ontario’s website they have some good guides for this type of thing.

https://www.hqontario.ca/Patient-Partnering/Patient-Partnering-Tools-and-Resources/Resources-for-Health-Care-Providers/Get-Started-Working-with-Patient-Advisors

[A Former User]

Hello all

I am in Saskatoon and have done orientation with my organization for about five years and help to build the provincial orientation too. In Saskatoon we do a three hour orientation and do talk about how to be an effective advisor. It about conversations And taking time to help and mentor new advisors.

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[A Former User]

Gwen, I am familiar with the HQO website and their resources. The resources are overwhelmingly directed to Patient Engagement Professionals (PEPs) not advisors though there is certainly some helpful stuff there.

None of it is developed by peers for peers. It is a good demonstration of the gap we see in training/orientation for advisors. And there is definitely some materials there that are helpful from a practical point of view.

I am still looking for the peer stuff. Heather has mentioned that the orientations she does she includes some of the stuff on being an effective advisor, especially the material about the positive things like conversations etc.

Privately, many of us are approached by colleagues who are in difficult situations and want to know how to deal with them. Or there is disclarity. Or their circumstances change and they want to readjust their commitments.... etc. These are areas we need to help each other beyond the one-on-one. There are some of us who never run into these challenges but many do and need help navigating. Cheers! Alies

[A Former User]

Alies,

the only other resource I can suggest is http://www.centreforinnovationinpeersupport.com/index.html

they are working on the resource section but are very experienced. They may be able to assist you.

[A Former User]

These are all very good topics for advisory training. I did take a PFA course through An American source: PFANetwork. It covered none of the above topics.

[A Former User]

I should add that I am working on a patient engagement training module for CCO staff. There are 4-6 PFAs actively providing guidance and feedback on how the staff can best engage with us. It is still a work in progress, but, we have all enlightened them on the need to have PFA involvement from the get-go on a project..as co-designers of the plan and not just as respondents to their plan. Hot topic since they are often the middle man for a pre-set Dictum from “above”.

[A Former User]

Alies, guess I’m not explaining myself appropriately. Why I mentioned the HQO and their guides are because they should be included in orientation as reference materials. New advisors need to understand who they are advising and how they operate. The HQO website has guides for standards of care for both patients and physicians as well as engagement guides.

Advisors need an an understanding of how the system works, including accreditation, HQO Quality Improvement Standards, scorecard data, who chooses the information to be included on scorecard.

You talked about a training and Development committee; the advisors I work with dedicate a lot of time to their own education of the health care system including those things I mentioned above. I believe tokenism is created when you can’t fully participate in the conversation. You don’t need to be a clinician to understand the concept of the system and comment and ask competent questions.

The centre for Innovation and Peer Support is new but doesn’t mean those running are. One is a Champion Advisor of opiates to make it a health crisis, another is an international speaker. This umbrella group provides peer support for peer supporters and also has patient advisor groups within the umbrella.

Next time I’m talking with the HQO Ombudsman as I’m on his Advisory group for a project I’ll mention the lack of peer to peer materials. Maybe we can start another project with him.

[A Former User]

Thanks for clarifying. Yes, absolutely we should point to existing resources within the system. And we can learn a lot about peer support from those experienced with it as some of our team are - but not me. Cheers! Alies

[A Former User]

We recently responded to a survey that collected information about what should go into a PA curriculum for orientation. Have the responses been summarized?

It would be timely to have this information for our new health authority in SK.

On another note: Let's also be mindful of the importance of promoting and advising on achieving health in our communities. Often the focus of discussions is on hospital care: treatment, illness care, chronic disease management and end of life care. Public health is also part of our health authority. Instead of metrics that measure patient satisfaction with their hospital experience, let's see success as a reduction in hospital admissions.

[A Former User]

Hey Kim. I have been advising here in SK for the past 9 years and we do have a provincial orientation that was based on the work we started in Saskatoon years ago Really looking at the key tools of PFCC and patient first review that is foundation for us here in SK. It is this deeper dive into the four pillars and undersntding the role of being an advisor that is so crucial. For many advisors don’t get this basic orientation. I know many haven’t used this in a bit but we do here in Saskatoon still and it helps those starting on their journey as advisors. What we need to next to is to revamp it to ensure it’s meeting the needs of advisors today. Especially taking a look at what you discussed. Happy to chat more and seeing what we can do here in SK.

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[A Former User]

Hi Heather! I admire your work and sage advice. Good points. I'm curious if anything new came out of the monkey survey the PAN community developed. The role has to be continuously under construction, I suspect, given our changing landscape.

[A Former User]

Hey Kim. I am too. Let’s hope Alies and all reply and let us know.

Thanks for all you do to ensure the patient and family voice is heard.

Let’s chat soon!!!

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[A Former User]

Thank you for this informed and insightful discussion all! I am Emily and I am one of the members on the orientation committee. I must apologize for the delay with messaging in the group and with updating everyone about the survey etc. We had quite a good response to the survey and the other committee members and I are going to pull out key learnings and themes and then I will report back here in order to validate and discuss before moving forward with a draft orientation (we do have a couple of decks going with potential materials but these need to be revisited in light of the survey and the feedback in the group chat. I am rather oversubscribed with work and my almost two year old currently but should be able to do more in April and will circle back here ASAP. In the meantime if anyone would like to speak further with me about content then please message me at emilynangl@gmail.com.

Thanks again for everyone’s input and enthusiasm!

Warmest,

Emily

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[A Former User]

Happy to help with this project. Let me know when and how.

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[A Former User]

Thank you Emily. I understand. Been there. I can help too! Kim

[A Former User]

Thanks for the offers to help! It will be great to get a few more members involved in the creation of the orientation. I will start by compiling the survey data and comments so I can report back and then maybe we can arrange for a group call? How does that sound? If anyone wants to talk one on one sooner though please email me - emilynangl@gmail.com

Emily

[A Former User]

Dear Emily, happy to help with creation of orientation. Have sent you an email.

thank you

Kurtis