Four teams are being recognized today by the Health Quality Council of Alberta for improving the patient and family experience across a range of services – including diabetes care, chronic pain management, music therapy, and transitioning from hospital to home.
“This year’s recipients demonstrated ways of working and listening that show how the patient and family voice can improve the healthcare system,” notes Medgine Mathurin, Chair of the Health Quality Council of Alberta’s Patient and Family Advisory Committee and a judge of the awards. “We hope they will be an inspiration for others in the healthcare system.”
The Patient Experience Awards program was established by the Health Quality Council of Alberta and its Patient and Family Advisory Committee in 2015 to recognize and spread knowledge about initiatives that improve the patient’s overall experience in accessing or receiving healthcare services. Aspects of patient experience include relationships, and how patients and families are treated; delivery of services to be person-centred, safe, timely, and effective; planning of services, such that patients and families are treated as partners; and a clean, safe, and inviting physical environment that supports healing and the efficient delivery of services.
Submissions are evaluated in a rigorous two-part process in which applicants describe the challenge they were trying to solve, their solution and how they identified it, the impact it has had, and the degree to which their solution can be scaled up and spread to others.
“The teams being recognized model collaboration and ways of working across the system that can support integration,” explains Charlene McBrien-Morrison, Chief Executive Officer of the Health Quality Council of Alberta. “Each of these teams listened to the needs and preferences of patients, took action to improve, and empowered patients and families in the process. This is at the heart of person-centred care.”
Read about the 2025 recipients here.
Four teams are being recognized today by the Health Quality Council of Alberta for improving the patient and family experience across a range of services – including kidney disease, recovery from addiction, and women’s reproductive health.
“This year’s recipients are an exceptional group of providers who have shown a commitment to continually improving patient and family experiences,” notes Medgine Mathurin, Chair of the Health Quality Council of Alberta’s Patient and Family Advisory Committee and a judge of the awards. “We believe they can inspire others in the healthcare system.”
The Patient Experience Awards program was established by the Health Quality Council of Alberta and its Patient and Family Advisory Committee in 2015 to recognize and spread knowledge about initiatives that improve the patient’s overall experience in accessing or receiving healthcare services. Aspects of patient experience include relationships, and how patients and families are treated; delivery of services to be person-centred, safe, timely, and effective; planning of services, such that patients and families are treated as partners; and a clean, safe, and inviting physical environment that supports healing and the efficient delivery of services.
Submissions are evaluated in a rigorous two-part process in which applicants describe the challenge they were trying to solve, their solution and how they identified it, the impact it has had, and the degree to which their solution can be scaled up and spread to others.
“We’re not looking at what kind of service they provide per se, or to whom, but rather how and where they provide it such that it demonstrates a measurably better experience for patients,” explains Charlene McBrien-Morrison, Chief Executive Officer of the Health Quality Council of Alberta. “In that sense, these teams can provide a model for others that may be serving an entirely different patient population.”
Read about the 2024 recipients here.
June 27, 2023
Today, the Health Quality Council of Alberta honours healthcare organizations and professionals for improving the patient and family experience across a range of services – from neonatal intensive care through enhancing quality of life for people with incurable cancer.
“This year’s recipients are an exceptional group of providers that have shown a commitment to continually improving patient and family experiences,” notes Sue Peters, Chair of the Health Quality Council of Alberta’s Patient and Family Advisory Committee and a member of the final selection panel. “Whether it’s caring for preterm infants or children with feeding disorders, assisting Indigenous Peoples in navigating complex health systems, or improving support to people with advanced cancer, these programs are inspirational.”
“Particularly when you consider the pressures on the healthcare system, each of these initiatives deserves to be celebrated as examples for others,” adds Charlene McBrien-Morrison, Chief Executive Officer of the Health Quality Council of Alberta.
Read about the 2023 recipients here.
Read our news release.
In a year filled with extraordinary healthcare demands and challenges because of the COVID-19 global pandemic, the Health Quality Council of Alberta (HQCA) today recognized four initiatives that positively impact Albertans’ experiences accessing and receiving healthcare services.
“Improving patients’ and their loved ones healthcare experiences and delivering truly person-centred care requires deliberate effort. It doesn’t just happen. For me, common themes among this year’s recipients are enquiry, responsiveness, and empowerment,” says Sue Peters, Acting Chair of the Health Quality Council of Alberta’s Patient and Family Advisory Committee. “Each of these teams asked and listened to what matters to those they serve, responded to and made improvements based on those needs and preferences, and empowered their patients and families to guide their own care.”
The Patient Experience Awards were established by the Health Quality Council of Alberta and its Patient and Family Advisory Committee to recognize and spread knowledge about initiatives that improve the patient’s overall experience in accessing and receiving healthcare services.
Read about the 2021 recipients.
Read the news release.
The Health Quality Council of Alberta has recognized four initiatives in the province that are making a positive impact on Albertans’ experiences accessing and receiving healthcare services.
“This year, as Alberta’s healthcare system focuses on guiding our communities through the COVID-19 pandemic as safely as possible, it is especially important to stop and recognize these healthcare teams who have implemented programs that positively impact their patients’ experiences,” says Dr. Greg Powell, Chair of the Health Quality Council of Alberta’s Patient and Family Advisory Committee. “These teams have and continue to deliver truly patient-centred services and care to their patients and their families.”
The Patient Experience Awards were established by the Health Quality Council of Alberta and its Patient and Family Advisory Committee to recognize and spread knowledge about initiatives that improve the patient’s overall experience in accessing and receiving healthcare services.
This year’s recipients are:
- The Wetaskiwin Primary Care Network (PCN) Prenatal Program, in collaboration with the University of Alberta and the Cree communities of Maskwacis, established the Elders Mentoring Program. Through the program, several Elders and grandmothers from Maskwacis work alongside staff to provide additional, culturally appropriate supports to Indigenous pregnant women and their partners in their prenatal clinic.
- The Performance Evaluation and Rhythm Follow-up Optimization through Remote Monitoring (PERFORM) team implemented remote monitoring for patients living with a cardiac implantable electrical device (CIED) more consistently across Alberta. Using remote monitoring, CIEDs can be connected at any time, wherever a cellular or WiFi network exists. This allows patients to be evaluated in their home to a similar extent as in a specialty face to face clinic visit, increasing access to appropriate and acceptable care in the community and without subjecting patients to excessive infectious risks as in the current pandemic.
- In partnership with Alberta’s critical care community, the Critical Care Strategic Clinical Network (CCSCN) led and facilitated the highly collaborative Provincial Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Delirium Initiative. This initiative team engaged patient and family advisors, operational leaders, and front-line healthcare professionals across Alberta Health Services to design, adapt, and implement leading practices for the prevention and management of ICU-associated delirium into the Alberta context. These efforts resulted in a standardized provincial approach to this aspect of care in both adult and pediatric critical care settings.
- The Virtual Opioid Dependency Program (VODP) uses a completely virtual clinic model to connect a doctor-led, multidisciplinary team with clients referred for opioid agonist therapy (OAT; e.g., methadone or buprenorphine/naloxone). Assessment, treatment, and support are provided via videoconference, telephone, and texting, and are delivered in conjunction with a pharmacist in the local area for OAT medication dispensing.
“Each of these initiatives takes an innovative approach to engaging patients and their loved ones not only as integral members of the care team, but as real partners,” comments Brent Windwick, Chair of the Health Quality Council of Alberta’s Board of Directors. “When we empower patients and their families by making care accessible and inclusive, and then provide them with meaningful information and resources to become true partners in their care, it is inspiring what can happen. I commend each of this year’s award recipients for their hard work to ensure the patient is at the centre of both our care and improvement conversations.”
The Award recipients will be profiled in-depth in the future and their stories will be shared here, to spread additional learnings about their programs.
