CEO Update - Consumers in Focus

The growing movement of value-based health care (VBHC) provides a framework for reorienting the health system to focus on the outcomes that matter to people and communities. It provides a structure to bring people together across different professions, clinical teams, services and sectors, to listen to what matters to people and communities and then use these insights to design models of care that drive value, quality and outcomes.

While this seems simple in theory, the realities of engaging consumers meaningfully in a safe and respectful way can be complex. This is particularly the case when faced with the many competing pressures that result from working within the health system. A common question asked is where and how do I start?

Gathering consumer insights can and has been achieved in multiple different ways — consumer forums, patient-reported measures (PROMs and PREMs), and yarning circles, among others. One method of growing interest is narrative storytelling, where consumers are enabled to share their personal experiences interacting with the health system and their reflections on that interaction. It provides a mechanism through which consumers can highlight what matters most to them in their own words, at their own pace.

Consumers are the heart of the healthcare system, and other stories in this issue of The Health Advocate highlight their critical importance to improving care delivery and the resilience and commitment of consumer advocates.