The Patient Experience in Ontario 2020: What Is Possible?

Area of Science:

• Healthcare policy
• Health services research

Background:

• Ontario's Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care action plan emphasizes a patient-centered approach.
• Commonly used terms like patient-centered care, patient engagement, and patient experience are prevalent.

Purpose of the Study:

• To define key terms: patient-centered care, patient engagement, and patient experience.
• To assess progress in Ontario's healthcare system toward patient-centeredness.
• To project future goals for patient-centered care in Ontario by 2020.

Main Methods:

• Literature review and conceptual analysis of key terms.
• Examination of policy documents and progress reports from Ontario.
• Qualitative assessment of the healthcare system's patient-centeredness.

Main Results:

• Proposed definitions for patient-centered care, patient engagement, and patient experience.
• Analysis indicating progress and areas for improvement in Ontario's healthcare system.
• Recommendations for achieving enhanced patient-centeredness by 2020.

Conclusions:

• Clear definitions are crucial for effective implementation of patient-centered care.
• Ontario has made progress but requires continued focus on patient engagement and experience.
• A strategic vision is needed to fully realize a patient-centered healthcare system.