Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Dying Patients in Ottawa to Receive Higher-Quality, More Compassionate Care
June 23, 2010 - A new program in Ottawa will change the way palliative care patients are managing their pain and other symptoms at home.
The program introduces a partnership between palliative care experts at Bruyère Continuing Care and health professionals at the two academic Family Health Teams in the city.
It will be officially launched this mid-July, and will serve patients who belong to the Family Health Teams.
The new approach means improved services because:
- Family doctors will gain advice and assistance from experts in the palliative care field, meaning patients will receive the best care possible for their individual needs.
- Patients will be cared for by health professionals at home or in a residential hospice (regularly and in times of crisis), and only transferred to hospitals when absolutely necessary.
- Patients will be screened earlier to identify who may benefit from a palliative care approach.
- Family doctors in their final stages of training (i.e. medical residents) will receive intensive education from the palliative care experts, resulting in better patient care for years to come.
“This is the sort of support and treatment that patients with life-threatening illnesses really need,” says MPP Madeleine Meilleur (Ottawa-Vanier). “I applaud the academic Family Health Teams and Bruyère Continuing Care for developing such a unique and important partnership.”
Participating Family Health Teams are at The Ottawa Hospital (with sites at its Riverside and Civic campuses) and the Bruyère Family Health Team (with sites at Saint-Vincent and Élisabeth Bruyère).
Source: Champlain Local Health Integration Network
Email: champlain@lhins.on.ca
Website: www.champlainlhin.on.ca
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