Conversations with cardiac patients in Interior Health

Many organizations consult with patients when “fixing” a broken system, but a true patient-centred approach seeks patient input at the very beginning stages. Throughout BC, many health authorities are involving patients in the development of services to ensure they get it right the first time. A great example of this is happening in Kelowna, where Interior Health is preparing to start performing cardiac surgery in December 2012.

Lynda Casey, Performance Outcomes Coordinator for Interior Health’s Cardiac Service, came to PVN looking for cardiac patient and caregiver stories to use in orienting the new cardiac team. She wanted the stories to spark dialogue about what the team feels a patient is experiencing.

“We felt it was important to focus on the human experience,” says Lynda. “Cardiac surgery is such a critical care area that sometimes the patient is lost amongst the tubes and technology.”

PVN’s Interior Health liaison, Carol Stathers, located five PVN members who had experience with cardiac care. She helped prepare them for the discussion, and provided support in sharing what were, in some circumstances, painful memories.
 

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