Patient and family advisors provide a voice that represents all patients and families of patients who receive care at The Ottawa Hospital.
They partner with hospital physicians, nurses and administrators to help improve the quality of our hospital’s care for all patients and family members.
A patient and family advisor...
Wants to help improve the quality of our hospital’s care
for all patients and family members
Gives feedback to the hospital
based on their own experiences as a patient or family member
Helps us plan changes
to improve how we take care of patients
Works with the hospital
for either short- or long-term commitments, depending on the project
Volunteers their time
usually at least one hour and not more than four hours per month
How advisors help
If you are an advisor for our hospital, you can help us in the following ways:
- Share your story. Advisors help by talking about their health-care experiences with clinicians, staff, and other patients.
- Participate in discussion groups. Advisors tell us what it’s like to be a patient at our hospital and what we can do to improve.
- Review or help create educational or informational materials. Advisors help review or create materials like forms, health information handouts, and discharge instructions. Advisors help us make these materials easier for all patients and family members to understand and use.
- Work on short-term projects. We sometimes ask advisors to partner with us in making improvements. For example, you can help plan and design a family resource room.
- Serve on a patient and family advisory council. An advisory council discusses and plans changes to improve hospital quality and safety. Members include patients, family members and hospital staff.
Frequently asked questions
Current opportunities for advisors
The Rainbow PFAC
Advise The Ottawa Hospital on quality improvement projects, patient and staff education, research and clinical and non-clinical processes based on your patient experience.
Four virtual meetings per year, 1.5 hours each.
Seeking two to three patients that used The Ottawa Hospital services in the last three years and have 2SLGBTQIA+ lived experience.
The Ottawa Hospital Corporate Delirium Committee
Our interprofessional committee at The Ottawa Hospital aims to improve recognition, assessment, and care for patients with delirium. We focus on enhancing quality of care through education and resources for patients, families, and staff.
Four virtual meetings per year.
We seek one patient or family/caregiver with delirium lived experience and has used The Ottawa Hospital services in the past three years.
Pregnancy, Birth, and Newborn Care Advisory Council
Help shape the future of care at The Ottawa Hospital by sharing your voice and lived experience. As a member of the Pregnancy, Birth, and Newborn Care Advisory Council, you will collaborate with hospital leadership to improve patient education, care delivery, and quality improvement in maternal and newborn services.
Four virtual meetings per year, one to two hours each.
Seeking four individuals who have given birth at The Ottawa Hospital’s General or Civic Campus within the past three years.
Thoracic Surgery Patient and Family Advisory Committee
The Thoracic Surgery Patient and Family Advisory Committee at The Ottawa Hospital partners with patients and families to improve the quality, safety, and person centredness of thoracic surgical care through collaboration in education, research, and quality improvement across the care continuum.
Four virtual meetings per year, one hour each.
We are seeking six to 10 patient and family representatives who have experienced thoracic surgery at The Ottawa Hospital within the past three years.
The Accessibility Patient and Family Advisory Committee
The committee brings together a range of voices from people who use TOH services and have lived experience of disability, including patients with disabilities and caregivers (such as family and friends). By sharing their experiences, members help TOH understand what matters most and how to improve accessibility. This includes providing input on policies and staff training to reduce barriers across the hospital.
The committee meets four times a year. Each meeting lasts about 90 minutes (1½ hours) and is offered in a hybrid format, so members can join online or in person.
Members must have recent experience (within the past three years) using TOH services or supporting a person with a disability who has used them. The committee aims to include a range of experiences with accessibility barriers in healthcare.