Person-centred care
Person-centred care brings what you know, care about, prefer and need into the centre of your health care. You are the most important partner in your care. We are here to develop a healing relationship with you that is built on trust, respect and dignity.
We welcome your questions and want you to be active in your health care. We invite you and your family to be our partners in care.
As a patient at Sunnybrook, we see you as a person first. Your voice is heard; we listen to you.
How can I take part in my care?
- Share information by telling us what is most important to you. Tell us about your goals, concerns, worries, preferences and care needs. Tell us about your family and any others who care about your health.
- Ask questions. Ask us to explain your diagnosis, treatments and care plan. Ask us about anything you don’t understand. Feel free to write questions or concerns on your Communication Board in your room.
- Work with your health care team by talking about who is caring for you and what will happen after you leave the hospital. Talk with us about how we can support your emotional and physical needs. Take notes to remember details about what is discussed.
Learn more about our person-centred care quality improvement project »
Sunnybrook’s "Partnering with Patients and Families in Quality Improvement" project, funded by a Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement grant, builds on the Sunnybrook’s Person-Centred Care approach of "Seeking and Embedding the Voice of the Patient". Our aim is to create a consistent organization-wide approach to working together with patients and their family members.
Sunnybrook’s "Seeking and Embedding the Voice of the Patient" approach was created with broad consultation with staff, patients and families; it describes the expected behaviours and communication by all staff when interacting with every patient and family member. It emphasizes that how staff connect and communicate with patients and families is critically important and greatly impacts patient experience.
"Seeking and Embedding the Voice of the Patient” asks all staff to consistently engage patients and their families as partners in their care. It defines three foundational vital behaviours for engaging with patients and families: 1) Introduction that makes a connection, 2) Ask First what is most important, and 3) Share and Act on what matters most.
Sunnybrook’s Person-Centred Care videos quality improvement initiative began with an evening forum where patients and family members were invited to share their care experiences and to determine the key messages to be recorded in the videos. These patient and family members were eager to remain active partners in the educational roll-out of our co-created videos. Together with our Patient and Family Partners, we are now co-developing and co-delivering education to inspire the hearts and minds of staff to improve Person-Centred Care across Sunnybrook.
