Improving Healthcare in Ontario: The Role of Quality Standards in Ensuring Equitable Care (Full Transcript)

Speaker 1: When looking at how well the health care system is performing for people in Ontario, we've noticed a few things. There are important differences in the care that people in Ontario receive, either because of where they live or because of factors like age, gender, education level or income level. This is a serious issue, and that is where quality standards come in. Quality standards outlines what quality care looks like for clinicians and patients for particular conditions like depression or wound care or hip fracture. We start off by bringing together a team of patients, clinical experts and people who have knowledge or experience with a particular topic. Topics like heavy menstrual bleeding, schizophrenia and chronic pain for example. This group of experts helps us develop the quality standard. We look at evidence and determine the care people with these conditions should get. We also take a look at how patients and care providers can work together to make decisions that are unique to each patient's circumstances. We then share our findings with the Ontario Quality Standards Committee, a group of professional and patient representatives from across the province to ensure we're on the right track. Each quality standard includes an assortment of resources. There's a guide for healthcare professionals that outlines what quality care looks like for that condition. Did we mention this is all based on the best available evidence? Because it is. There's a guide for patients, families and caregivers that can be used as a starting point when discussing your care. There are also recommendations to help the system adopt the quality standard along with tools for getting started. And if you're wondering why a specific quality standard was created, we also publish data and information to help clarify. We recognize that everyone is different and has unique circumstances, so it is important that clinicians and patients across the province are on the same page. Quality standards are here to help with that. Want to know more? Visit www.hqontario.ca www.hqontario.ca