Christina Spencer's blog

Read the full article for PAC president Sholom Glouberman's comments on the issue.

OTTAWA - Two Ottawa doctors were recognized for their quality of service Thursday night. Dr. Robin Boushey and Dr. Evelyn Honsl received the first-ever patients’ choice awards. The award is jointly sponsored by the Patient’s Association of Canada and the Ontario Medical Association. Boushey is the medical director of the cancer assessment centre at the Ottawa Hospital. Honsl is a family physician with a practice on Broadview Ave.

The original article is published here.

Thank you to everyone who participated in this year's Patients' Choice Awards. We received more than 30 thoughtful nominations from patients around Ottawa and we awarded two very deserving physicians.

The winners are Dr. Evelyn Honsl and Dr. Robin Boushey.

We look forward to bringing the initiative to your community!

Friday, June 15, 2012 – Prior to the last six months, I spent a lot of time seeking out groups who were prepared to have patients join them in their discussions. Now, I have increasingly been attending meetings of groups who have, for the very first time, invited a patient representative to join them. They are now seeking out the Patients’ Association of Canada to find patient representatives to join them.

What is very interesting is how much their deliberations change once patients are in the room. They begin to recognize how little input patients have made up until now, and how patients offer a different perspective on the issues these groups face.

Groundbreaking approach holds promise for provincial game-change

PAULINE W. CHEN - A friend of mine, a brilliant and accomplished academic in her 70s who once specialized in history and literature, recently phoned to ask for medical advice after being discharged from the hospital for what sounded like a mini-stroke. Ever eager to learn something new, she pressed me on “the latest research” and asked what doctors around the country were doing for her condition...

... “I don’t want him to think I’m questioning his judgment,” she added. “I don’t want to upset him or make him angry at me!”

The second annual conference of the Patients’ Association of Canada (PAC) was a broad-based discussion of how patients could participate in guiding our health care system. There were 19 separate sessions on a wide variety of topics held throughout the day. The notes will be posted on the web site and commentary will be made available. As you read them, you’ll notice that the topics are wide ranging and full of ideas.

PAC's second conference is fast approaching! We have a great group of patients, health care professionals and board members who have registered for the event, and we're looking forward to an exciting day

For those not attending, stay connected via Twitter, #PACconf !

We'll keep you posted on progress, meaningful discussions, and we'll add some photos while we're at it.