Patient Partners

Become a Patient Partner

We want to make health care better with you, and you don’t need to be a researcher or a health care professional to get involved!

Quality of Care NL partners with NL SUPPORT to engage patients and the public in meaningful ways so that they can provide valuable insights on the work we do to improve the health care system in the province.

NL SUPPORT coordinates a Patient Advisory Council (PAC) to engage patients in their work. Members of the PAC are encouraged to engage in the work of both NL SUPPORT and Quality of Care NL as well as outside patient-oriented research opportunities. You don’t have to be a member of NL SUPPORT’s PAC to be involved in Quality of Care NL supported projects, but being a member may help you be more meaningfully engaged and provide peer support.

Patient Partners:

  • Have experience with the health care system as a patient, a caregiver, or a family member of a patient in Newfoundland and/or Labrador
  • Have an open mind
  • Can attend meetings, either in-person or virtually (The PAC meets approximately six times a year. Individual research projects set their own meeting schedule in consultation with team members)
  • Are available to provide opinions as needed (in-person or by email)

Questions Patient Partners may be asked include:

  • Are we looking at the right problem?
  • How should we collect the data?
  • What results are important to patients?
  • What do these results mean to you?
  • How should we share the results?

Time Commitment for Patient Partners:

  • Patient Partners who are members of the PAC meet up to six times a year, either face-to-face or by video conference
  • Will be asked to complete a patient partner orientation
  • Meeting agendas will be set by the project teams; you will know what each team needs before the meeting
  • Meeting materials may need to be reviewed before meetings
  • You may also be contacted via email for opinions on materials, questions, or results as appropriate

Benefits of Being a Patient Partner:

  • You will make a difference
  • You will meet new people with diverse experiences who share the goal of making health care better

Note: Travel and accommodation costs will be covered for in-person activities (if you live outside St. John’s and have to meet in-person)

For more information on how to become a Patient Partner, please contact:

Chelsey McPhee
Patient Engagement Lead