In 2017 IMAGINE Citizens Network worked with Albertans to conduct a province-wide conversation aimed at improving our primary health care system
Imagine Citizens Network recruited 28 members of the general public to be part of an important conversation. Through a multi-step dialogue process, we brought together these Albertans from across the province to learn about, analyze and make recommendations about how health care is delivered in our communities.
We listened to and reflected on participants’ experiences with our health care system. We asked them about the flow, the connections, the organization and the relationships along their primary health care journey.
This was an opportunity to bring our voices to Alberta Health and to inform future primary healthcare policy decisions. We submitted our final report and recommendations to Alberta Health in December 2017.
What did we talk about?
We talked about primary health care – the services in your community that support the day-to-day health needs of Albertans.
Primary health care may include:
- A visit to your family doctor
- A consultation from a nurse practitioner
- Advice from a pharmacist
- An appointment with a dietitian or therapist
More specifically, we looked for ideas and input on two approaches to help promote the continuity of primary health care:
- Health Home: A “home base” within the health care system. This is where an individual
- Can access comprehensive primary health care services from a team.
- Be connected to the other health and social services they need.
- Have their health care journey coordinated and managed.
- Attachment: Continuous, long-term relationships between an individual and a primary health care provider or team. This kind of relationship will help ensure that
- Albertans receive appropriate care to meet their needs.
- Providers know their patients’ histories, which means people won’t have to tell their story as many times or undergo duplicate tests.
What did we learn?
We are happy to share our results and recommendations with you here. Stay in touch with us as we continue to spread the conversation and work to ensure that patients are recognized as partners in Primary Healthcare in Alberta.
