Access to Woundcare in Ontario – A Patient Survey

Healthcare providers and organizations in Ontario have a long history of commitment to improving the quality of wound care. For decades, many Hospitals, Long-Term Care Homes and community provider agencies have developed wound assessment, management and prevention protocols and educational plans independent of each other. These unique, organization-specific approaches have resulted in inconsistencies as patients are transitioned from one organization to another and from one healthcare sector to another. The variation in protocols and staff knowledge has resulted in variable clinical outcomes, poor patient experiences and higher overall system costs.

To more objectively capture the experience of patients with wounds in Ontario, the Ontario Woundcare Interest Group (OntWIG) (an interest group of the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario) established a working group in 2015, which was charged with developing, implementing and evaluating a patient focused survey, with the goal of capturing the experiences of patients with wounds across healthcare sectors and geographic regions in Ontario. Once surveys have been analyzed, the group will develop a synopsis and list of recommendations in the form of a white paper, for presentation to the Ontario Ministry of Health and other relevant stakeholders. At this time we are asking that you provide your wound care patients with the link to the anonymous OntWIG survey, so that they may have the opportunity to participate and to let their experiences (both positive and negative) be known: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ontwigpatientsurvey

Please note that this survey was vetted through the Hamilton Integrated Research Ethics Board, who indicated that formal ethics approval for the anonymous survey was not required. Thank you for your assistance with this matter.

If you have any questions, please direct them to Alexandria Crowe, RN(EC) MN-NP, OntWIG Finance Officer.

Sincerely,

Alexandria Crowe, RN(EC) MN-NP alexandriacrowe77@gmail.com

Ruth Thompson, MClSc – WH D.Ch. IIWCC ruthompson@gmail.com