Joseph Brant Hospital Annual Report 2019 JBH Annual Report 2019 | Page 13

INSPIRED Program: Scott’s Story “Until you live a day in the shoes of someone with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), you can’t understand what it feels like to not have breath” shares Scott Bailey. “So, when they asked me to be a part of INSPIRED, as a Patient Advisor, I said yes –for sure. If I can help just one person, than I’ve done my job.” The INSPIRED Program (Implementing a Novel and Supportive Program of Individualized care for patients and families with Respiratory Disease), was introduced to Joseph Brant Hospital in 2015, as part of a Nationwide Collaborative with the Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement (CFHI). It teaches patients and families how to plan, manage and live with symptoms of COPD. The collaborative was a success, sustaining positive patient outcomes including a reduction in hospital readmissions and improvements in patient satisfaction and confidence—prompting a secondary collaborative that partnered current INSPIRED providers with community-based health centers. Joseph Brant Hospital was one of six INSPIRED providers selected to take part nationwide. In 2018, Joseph Brant Hospital introduced the INSPIRED Program to three local Family Health Teams (FHTs). Local COPD patients, like Scott, were trained as Patient Advisors to provide insight and identify opportunities based on their lived experiences. Through collaboration with the CHFI, FHTs and Patient Advisors, we addressed information gaps to improve knowledge about how the disease progresses, and how to manage the physical symptoms and mental impacts. Thereby ensuring patients receive the right care, in the right place at the right time – improving access to supports that prevent hospital readmissions. Scott reflects, “INSPIRED offered me a new type of program that was missing from my care – it’s adaptable to meet the needs of all COPD patients. You get information on what to expect, planning for the future, what you can and can’t do and how to share that with your family. You learn to know your limitations and develop new strategies to cope and reconstruct your life living with COPD.” “INSPIRED offered me a new type of program that was missing from my care – it’s adaptable to meet the needs of all COPD patients. You get information on what to expect, planning for the future, what you can and can’t do and how to share that with your family. You learn to know your limitations and develop new strategies to cope and reconstruct your life living with COPD.” Although the secondary collaborative through CFHI has finished, our work with local FHTs is ongoing. Preliminary results are positive and reflect those in 2015. We have shared our findings with other hospitals interested in replicating this collaborative program, and Scott has shared his experience in INSPIRED at recent conferences. There is hope to use the model to work with other chronic conditions, like heart failure and mental health. Annual Report 2018-2019 13