Supporting Patient and Family Engagement for Healthcare Improvement: Reflections on “Engagement-Capable Environments” Pan-Canadian Learning Collaboratives

Abstract

Although the involvement of patients in their care has been central to the concept of patient-centred care, patient engagement in the realms of health professional education, policy making, governance, research and healthcare improvement has been rapidly evolving in Canada in the past decade. The Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement (CFHI) has supported healthcare organizations across Canada to meaningfully partner with patients in quality improvement and system redesign efforts. This article describes CFHI initiatives to enhance patient engagement efforts across Canada and the lessons learned in the context of "engagement-capable environments" and offers reflections for the future of patient engagement in Canada.