Early palliative care through patient-family activation: Lessons from the Waiting Room Revolution
About the presentation:
Early palliative care can help achieve holistic, person-centered care. However, it is often offered too late in the illness journey, despite years of education for health care providers. But there is hope! - especially when we turn our efforts to empowering and activating patients and families. Through years of research and interviews, Dr. Hsien Seow and his colleague, Dr. Samantha Winemaker, deconstructed the elements of an early palliative care approach into 7 simple keys, which can enable patients and families facing serious illness to leech out person-centered care right from diagnosis. The resulting public facing movement is called The Waiting Room Revolution. The keys are provided in an online, social media community, a podcast, and a new book. In his talk, Dr. Seow will explain the 7 keys, how they have been received by the public, what you can do to support person-centered care upstream, and how to be part of the revolution.
Bio:
Dr. Hsien Seow, PhD, is the Canada Research Chair in Palliative Care and Health System Innovation and a Professor in the Department of Oncology, McMaster University. He publishes health care and policy research focused on improving care for patients with serious illness and their families. His expertise is in community-based models of palliative care, provider and clinician education, and measuring quality. His research website is: www.palliativecareinnovation.com. He is the co-host of the podcast: www.waitingroomrevolution.com