EM Network Hosts 2nd Patient Information Sheet Workshop
On June 19th, 2019, staff at the BC Emergency Medicine Network (EM Network) teamed up with nine Patient Partners of varying ages, backgrounds, and medical experiences to review patient information sheets currently used in emergency departments across BC. Over the course of the workshop, 50 topics were read and discussed in detail. The formatting, appropriateness of the content, and phrasing of the information were just a few of the issues raised in discussion.
“Patient Information Sheets- Created for us, by us.” – Pamela Jessen, Patient Partner
Beyond reviewing the information sheets, our Patient Partners voiced their desire to break communication barriers with medical practitioners. They stressed the importance of having self-care instructions summarized in a discharge sheet, as it is often overwhelming for a patient to receive information about their condition in the emergency department.
Going forward, we intend to expand the EMN Information Sheet database to include new topics and more languages. Given the success of past workshops, we plan to host more Patient Information Sheet Workshops including some in rural and Indigenous communities, in keeping with our overarching goal of making medical information more accessible to patients across BC.
