Patient voice

Improving patient safety and quality of care is an ongoing journey supported by the efforts of the entire health sector. In the Victorian system there is an increased focus on recognising and supporting users of the health system as active participants in improving their own outcomes and improving systems and delivery of care to benefit others as well.

A number of resources are available below to support your organisation in building a culture of listening, particularly in improving governance of health services.

In accordance with VMIA's Copyright Licence, the tools and videos are intended for information purposes only. VMIA encourages the free transfer, copying, alteration and printing of these tools and templates if the activities support the purpose and intent for which they were developed.

Patient stories toolkit 

The In their shoes: building a culture of listening toolkit is designed to support organisations increase the role of the patient voice in improving service delivery. Download the toolkit here.

In their shoes: building a culture of listening [PDF, 467KB]

In their shoes

The In their shoes video series features three patient stories:

It could be me follows a typical patient journey through the health system from consultation to surgery and rehabilitation. At each step of the journey the healthcare clinician becomes the patient in the subsequent step, reinforcing the concept of caring for others as you would wish to be cared for yourself.

Experienced general practitioner Dr Philip Worboys shares his story of survival in It was me. Dr Worboys was riding a bicycle when he was hit by a car at high-speed, leaving him in the complete care of healthcare workers to save him from his critical condition. He offers rare insight into what it is like to be a patient from the perspective of a doctor.

Dr Rachel Rosler shares her story in It was my daughter, as she considers the patient experience from a mother’s perspective. Dr Rosler’s daughter was born prematurely at 26 weeks, resulting in a range of ongoing health issues. The importance of caring for patient families as well as patients is highlighted in this story.

 

 

 

James Titcombe webinar

James Titcombe is a consumer and patient safety specialist from the United Kingdom, who shares his personal story of losing his newborn son in 2008. Since his son’s death James has been a tireless campaigner to improve the healthcare system and is an excellent example of the power of the patient’s voice to influence widespread change.

#hellomynameis

The #hellomynameis campaign was introduced at Mildura Base Hospital as a direct result of a patient sharing their story at the health service. A series of videos examines the reason for the campaign and the practical aspects of using patient stories to influence systemic and cultural change.