Patient-centered health care around the world
by Mary
I had the privilege of representing Easter Seals at the International Alliance of Patients’ Organizations (IAPO) 5th Global Congress in London last month.
The Congress was titled “Achieving Patient-Centered Healthcare: Indicators of Progress and Success.” It sounds very formal, but the focus was looking at the values that underline patient-centered health care (why do we care?), the methods to ensure that health care providers deliver the care needed (what tools will help us accomplish this task?) and the indicators that might help shape the practice of health care with the patient in the center (how will we know if we are succeeding?).
We looked at and discussed these issues through the lens of the individual, from the perspective of an organization and also from an international perspective. In one of the sessions, I started jotting down the countries that were represented by the people who offered comments. My margins filled up quickly. The countries included Israel, Spain, Germany, Uganda, Malawi, Australia, Ireland, Holland, Croatia, South Africa, Bulgaria, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Switzerland and Italy. Those are the ones I could identify! The official language of the Congress was English, and the pleasure of hearing all those accents really added to the sense of the geographic diversity of the attendees.
I’ve only been in London once before and that was 15 years ago. The age of the city of London is part of its charm for me, but also a reminder of the perseverance that let the city weather the centuries. Going by Buckingham Palace, even if in a taxi, was a wonderful sight! I couldn’t help but think of the joy I felt watching TV last year and seeing all those people gathered in the circle in front of the Palace for the Royal Wedding. I was there long enough to see them getting ready to change the guard: furry black-hatted palace guards in red uniforms on horseback all made the scene respectful and timeless.
On my last day, I realized that if I looked south from my hotel rather than north, I could see Big Ben, the Parliament buildings and the spires of Westminster Abbey. I’d been totally focused the other direction! A short walk let me see all of those sights up close and watch a protest in front of the Parliament buildings that looked a lot like Lafeyette Square across from the White House here in DC. It reminded me that our roots are English and made me feel like I wasn’t so far away from home after all.
Being surrounded by all that history was meaningful to looking forward through the efforts of the international Congress. Working with people from all over the world to learn more about how best to provide care for people with disabilities and chronic illnesses will help inform Easter Seals’ priorities in the future.