Enriched Health Care is pleased to be joining other patient-centred organisations from around the world in commemorating the sixth annual Patient-Centred Care Awareness Month in October. Healthcare organizations, like ours, are engaging in a variety of activities designed to support patients and build confidence in managing their health, strengthen patient-centred practices, publicly proclaim a commitment to patient-centred care, and reflect on efforts to transform the health care experience.

The butterfly logo reinforces that while the process of transformation is gradual and at times challenging, with patience, creativity and perseverance, the results can be beautiful, vibrant and uplifting. The theme of Patient-Centred Care Awareness Month this year is “Building Patient Confidence” and emphasizing the importance of patient communication with providers, about health history and goals, maintaining a personal health record and identifying a loved one as a care partner.

“As a health care provider committed to providing patient-centred care, we want patients who come to Enriched Health Care to expect more. We want them to expect to be treated as partners in their own care. We want them to expect open communication and ample information about their treatment in language they can understand. And we want them to expect that they will feel prepared to confidently manage their health care needs. This Patient-Centred Care Awareness Month campaign is an opportunity for us to reinforce to our patients and their families what we are doing to support them and build their health confidence.”

As part of Patient-Centred Care Awareness Month in October, Enriched Health Care will display an official declaration of its commitment to the values of patient-centred care:

• A patient is an individual to be cared for, not a medical condition to be treated.
• Each patient is a unique person, with diverse needs.
• Each staff member is a caregiver, whose role is to meet the needs of each patient.
• Our patients are our partners and have knowledge and expertise that is essential to their care.
• Our patients’ family and friends are also partners and we welcome their involvement.
• Access to understandable health information is essential to empower patients to participate in their care and it is our responsibility to provide access to that information.
• The opportunity to make decisions is essential to the well-being of our patients. It is our responsibility to maximize patients’ opportunities for choices and to respect those choices.
• Our patients’ well-being can be enhanced by an optimal healing environment, including access to music and the arts, satisfying food and complementary therapies.
• To effectively care for patients, we must also care for our staff members by supporting them in achieving their highest professional aspirations, as well as their personal goals.
• Patient-centred care is the core of a high quality health care system and a necessary foundation for safe, effective, efficient, timely and equitable care.