Engaging
How can we do things better? We believe
the answer lies in tapping into the collective
knowledge and wisdom of all our stakeholders
– the public, the profession, the government
and health-care organizations.
In May 2012, Greg Price, a 31-year-old
Alberta man, died unexpectedly three days
after surgery to remove a cancerous testicle.
His death followed delayed treatment and
disjointed medical care. The tragedy prompted
the province to take a hard look at the system. We know that issues arising from breaks
in continuity of care happen in Ontario too,
and, unfortun ately, not infrequently. Our
committees that deal with complaints and
quality assurance both see continuity of care
issues and we regularly receive calls to our
front-line staff from patients who are having
difficulties with such matters as accessing
after-hours care or experiencing challenges
with the referral/consultation process.
The Health Quality Council of Alberta
(HQCA) examined the details of the case and
concluded that the health-care system had
utterly failed Mr. Price. Its report stated that,
“This patient was in the care of two, and then
three, primary care physicians, none of whom
knew or had access to his whole history.
Mr. Price experienced delays in receiving
important tests, difficulties contacting the In May 2016, a large working group made
up of Council and non-Council members
with differing perspectives and expertise,
was struck to oversee the development of a
comprehensive policy addressing breakdowns
in continuity of care. We knew it was important
to establish a solid groundwork for moving
forward. So we began by engaging all our
partners, with the understanding that this
Policy Informed by Stakeholder
Experience
treating physicians, confusion regarding
how to book appointments and inadequate
communications from physicians regarding
appointments and test results.”
CPSO ANNUAL REPORT 2017 // page 27