The Dr. Jennifer Oates Memorial Award for Advancing the Family and Patient Voice

In August 2023, the South Island MSA lost a wonderful colleague, Dr. Jennifer Oates.  We are honoured to share this information about a new award that has been developed in her memory.

Island Health PQI are establishing the Dr Jennifer Oates Memorial Award for Advancing the Patient Voice. The award will be presented to a physician and patient partner at the annual graduation event for the PQI physicians completing 1 year of QI training. Jennifer was a faculty member of the PQI team with responsibility for developing our patient engagement strategy and incorporating the patient voice in QII projects. The award was developed in recognition and memory of the her dedication to the work and the results she achieved.  The recipient will receive an engraved plaque which will be passed along each year.

This annual award celebrates the compassion and dedication that Dr. Jennifer Oates inspired in her colleagues to ensure that families and patients are always actively engaged in their care. Within the Physician Quality Improvement team, Jennifer also helped our PQI medical staff education program to transform how we include patients and families as active participants in quality improvement projects.

• Criteria for award:
  • Meaningful patient engagement: Inclusion, respect, listening to patient voices and treating patients as equal partners
  • Patient-Centered Approach – strong commitment to patient centered care practices
  • Innovation in Patient Engagement – new & effective methods to involve patients
  • Impact on Patient Outcomes – measurable outcomes due to engagement strategy
  • Sustainability – engagement strategies that are sustainable
• Write-up on award:
  • This award recognizes and honors the significant contributions to advancing patient participation in quality improvement projects demonstrated by a physician and their team. It aims to celebrate innovative strategies, measurable impact, and a sustainable patient-centered approach that can lead to transformational health outcomes while fostering a culture of engagement the area of patient partnerships.
  • Jennifer Oates carried a strong belief that with the IAP2 Spectrum of Public Participation as our measure (and we are all about measures in QI), we could see measurable engagement with patient partners in all our projects. Where we can move from simply informing our patients of the work being done to improve care, to collaborating with and empowering patients to identify health care problems and work towards sustainable solutions.