PAC

January 16, 2012 - I met with Katherine Smith last week to discuss her research into the dearth of policy effects of the British research into inequalities in health. The last fifteen years have been an exceptionally fertile time for inequalities in health research, but not for the policies that would reduce such inequalities. Katherine explored the issue and argued convincingly against the orthodox Canadian view that there are distinct policy and research communities that must be brought together through knowledge brokerage.

December 22, 2011 - Lauren Vogel, a journalist from CMAJ, called yesterday to ask me about the rules in parts of Canada that allow doctors to insist that a chaperone accompany patients during an examination. She wanted to know if doctors should have that right and what we at the Patients’ Association thought about it. It seemed to me that this was yet another indication that the relationship between patients and doctors has been changing in ways that make it more and more difficult to provide continuity of care.

TORONTO/Dec. 5, 2011 - The Patients' Association of Canada (PAC) is bringing the patient perspective to the governance level in Ontario’s healthcare boards. The association was recently awarded a $92,500 grant from The Ontario Trillium Foundation for a project titled ‘Enhancing the Patient Voice in Ontario’s Health Care Boards’ which will bring together board members and PAC volunteers for the common goal of strengthening the patient perspective in board deliberations...