Disease Care at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre

THUNDER BAY – Health News – A key activity within Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre’s (TBRHSC) strategic direction of Chronic Disease Prevention and Management is identifying and addressing the most common personal and health system barriers to self-management.

In the past year, Regional Cancer Care Northwest launched two new programs aimed at improving access to services so fewer patients report “they wanted, but did not receive information.”

Patient Care Includes Education

MyCancerGuide.ca is a new patient education and teaching tool developed for people affected by cancer. Thanks to another initiative launched this past year, the New Patient Orientation Program, patients report that they have the information they need about Supportive Care Services. We also implemented a new Palliative Care Program for cancer patients.

“My Cancer Guide is an excellent example of how TBRHSC is tailoring its healthcare strategies to respond to patient needs,” says Dr. Mark Henderson, Executive Vice-President, Patient Services and Regional Vice-President, Cancer Care Ontario. “We are evolving from a disease-centred approach of simply ‘fixing’ patients toward treatment as a partnership between provider and patient to promote total well-being.”

TBRHSC is also working to integrate interprofessional team members for the provision of patient navigation in Diagnostic Assessment Programs and cervical and colorectal screening in a mobile setting. A new screening Coach is now operational.

Patient Outcomes:

• access to a new Linear Accelerator (Radiation Treatment Device)

• fewer barriers to self-management for patients with cancer

• rapid diagnostic assessment pathway (DAP) for lung cancer diagnosis

• patients report that they have the information they need about Supportive Care Services