(Edmonton) The Alberta Medical Association wants to hear from all Albertans about the health care system, and is seeking public input through an innovative, new online community – Albertapatients.ca. The new online community will be open for all adult Albertans to join, providing them with an opportunity to give input on the current system, and to shape the future of health care in Alberta through regular professionally executed survey research. Albertapatients.ca will also act as a conduit for Alberta’s doctors to update patients about what’s going on in health care delivery, and report on findings from the survey research.
AMA President, Dr. Richard Johnston, noted the patient-focused goal of Albertapatients.ca “As an organization, the AMA has not had the ability to interact with large numbers of Albertans or give them a way to help us understand their thoughts and concerns regarding health care delivery.” Albertapatients.ca is a way to dialogue, “because when we know what matters to our patients, we can have meaningful conversations, share information and play an active role in creating a patient – and family – centered health system.”
All adult Albertans are invited to participate at Albertapatients.ca, through a secure and private online platform, which allows them to participate as much or as little as they wish according to their schedule. Albertapatients.ca will allow Albertans to share their health care priorities, concerns, experiences and feedback on new initiatives to make health care delivery better in the province. Specifically, members of Albertapatients.ca will:
- Participate in scientific surveys about different aspects of health care
- Take quick polls and see instant results
- Join discussion forums on topics that interest them
- Receive invitations for special surveys or discussions that relate to their specific interests and health care needs
- Receive electronic newsletters about what’s happening on the website, including survey results, news from the AMA or other items such as what is happening in other jurisdictions, recent health care related studies, etc.
ThinkHQ Public Affairs Inc. is the 3rd party research firm responsible for operation of the online community and executing research projects with community members.
ThinkHQ Public Affairs Inc. President Marc Henry applauded the AMA for its leadership in driving a patient-oriented health care system. “ThinkHQ is delighted to be working with the AMA on this initiative. It’s the first of its kind, and gives Alberta’s doctors the unique ability to systematically hear what patients want for their health care system – placing patients firmly at the centre of the system where they should be. It also gives doctors a forum to communicate directly with patients about what’s going on in the health care system, and seek their feedback,” said Henry. “Our polling has consistently found health care to be a top issue in Alberta, as it is in other jurisdictions. Albertapatients.ca actually gives Albertans the opportunity to do something about it and to have a real voice in making health care better.”
How to join?
Joining Albertapatients is easy. Any Alberta aged 18 or older can participate by simply going to www.albertapatients.ca, and clicking “Join Now”.
Following a short demographic profiling questionnaire, participants will be asked to opt-in to allow the system to contact them via e-mail for future survey research studies and monthly newsletters. The community utilizes state of the art technology that assures the security and anonymity of the data collected, and is only used to conduct research on behalf of the Alberta Medical Association.
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Media Inquiries:
Marc Henry
President, ThinkHQ Public Affairs, Inc.
(587) 774 – 2395