Partners in care refers to the collaborative relationship between health care providers, patients, and their families to ensure shared decision-making and holistic, person-centered care.
Tips & Links
Being a partner in care is valuable because it empowers patients to actively participate in their health decisions, leading to more personalized, effective, and satisfying health care outcomes.
Learn About Patient Rights
- Access to insured health care services, without discrimination.
- Ability to accept, refuse, or discontinue treatments at any time.
- Make informed health care decisions, with the support of others, if needed.
- Have your advance directive or authority of a substitute decision-maker respected.
- Expect personal health information to be kept private and confidential.
- Learn about your patient rights regarding privacy and confidentiality, informed consent, and the ability to accept or refuse treatments or procedures from Healthlink BC.
- Learn about patient and employee rights from Fraser Health Authority.
- Learn about your rights under the BC’s Mental Health Act.
Learn About Patient Responsibilities
- Provide accurate health information by sharing complete and honest details about your medical history, symptoms, and lifestyle.
- Follow treatment plans by adhering to prescribed medications, therapies, and follow-up appointments.
- Ask questions and to ensure understanding of reasons for treatment plans.
- Respect health care providers by treating them with courtesy and respect.
- Keep appointments by arriving on time or notifying the clinic if you need to cancel or reschedule.
- Participate in care decisions by being actively involved in making choices about your health and treatments.
Things You Can Do
- Make a list of all the people involved in your care including health care and business professionals, care partners and caregivers, and those who support your end of life decisions.
- Introduce all those involved in your care to each other, in office, hospital, community or home settings.
- Understand the roles of different care professionals and the scope of their practice and abilities.
- Prepare and educate yourself on how to make the most of your health care visits for better communication, understanding, and outcomes.
- Include family, caregivers, care partners in conversations and health care decisions as suggested by the Family-Caregivers of BC.
- Learn about ‘patient as partners’ facilitated by the Patient Voices Network where you can share your health care system experiences to improve care for others.
Complete the Mywell Health fillable tools to list all the people involved in your care My Health Care and Business Professionals and your Care Partners Lists.