The Patient Ombudsman just released her first report: Patient Ombudsman Annual_Report_Final_EN

A year of patient and caregiver conversations and complaints by the numbers:

Almost 2000 complaints

• 1431 complaints received by phone
• 553 written complaints

Complaints were made by:

• 37% patients
• 29% substitute decision-makers
• 23% caregivers
• 6% family members
• 5% other

Some complaints were rerouted to other regulatory authorities such as:

• 364 complaints sent to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario
• 108 complaints sent to the Ontario Ombudsman
• 88 complaints sent to the College of Nurses of Ontario
• 59 complaints sent to the Health Services Appeal and Review Board
• 49 complaints sent to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario

Types of health care organizations and their top complaints:

• 70% hospitals – people were worried about inappropriate discharge, lack of communication and policies and procedures
• 19% home and community care – people were worried about delay in service, inadequate service and policies and procedures
• 11% long-term care homes – people were worried about poor care, policies and procedures, and lack of communication

Overall the top 5 healthcare issues Ontario’s patients and caregivers seem most concerned about:

• 11% Inappropriate discharge
• 10% Miscommunication or lack of communication
• 10% Understanding and improving policies and procedures
• 9.5% Access to service
• 9% Poor care

Resolutions included:

• Sharing the patient or caregiver perspective with a health service provider
• Getting the right information to make a decision
• Connecting to the right person who can help
• Raising awareness of the issue
• Getting a policy or a procedure changed for the better
• Helping to prevent someone else from going through a similar experience
• Getting an apology or formal acknowledgment of the concern

A few themes:

• Patients want to be treated with greater compassion and dignity and seen as a whole person
• Patients feel they have not been given enough information and time to make fully informed decisions
• Patients and caregivers are fearful of speaking up about care in case of reprisal
• Patients and caregivers are eager to participate in their own care plans