The Consumers Health Forum of Australia (CHF) and the Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association (AHHA) were pleased to present the second workshop in our 2017 Partnering with Consumers Series - Consumers as Agents of Change.

This workshop examined how consumers have been able to effectively influence and create change and provided the audience with an understanding of how to harness this powerful and effective group of engaged people.

Keynote Speaker:

“When I was 28 years old everything I thought I knew about myself ripped apart in a moment. I was standing in a shower on the OB floor of my local hospital and, with no warning, I felt like fire was poured over my head. Pain surged through my teeth. My jaw tightened and then suddenly something crunched deep inside of me. I was 35 weeks pregnant that day and the birth I’d planned for, the life I’d planned for, changed forever. … “

In this presentation, participants learned what it was like for Melissa Thomason, a “Type A” public school teacher, to survive a Type A aortic dissection and become a champion for patient-centered healthcare across the United States.  

Melissa helped answer the questions:

• How do we bridge the gap between dynamic, meaningful engagement and the passive “focus group” approach?
• How can we build a “culture of collaboration” and leverage it to improve quality by the bedside and in the boardroom?
• Why should we care about the work of “patient engagement” now more than ever?

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Other Speakers

The day also featured case studies of high profile examples of consumer led campaigns including the currently topical campaign around use of transvaginal mesh implants which has resulted in a senate inquiry that is currently underway. Participants heard how consumers have taken the information learned at some of our earlier workshops and implemented changes in their organisations and had the opportunity to discuss practical ways to apply the day's learnings in their own organisations. Speakers included:

• Bridget Haire, Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations
   
• Richard Royle, PwC Health Consulting
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• Danny Vadasz, Health Issues Centre
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• Kim Blieschke, Australian Pelvic Mesh Support Group
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• Paresh Dawda, Prestantia Health
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• Tony Lawson, Consumers Health Forum of Australia
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The full agenda is available here.

Our Sponsor

The Partnering with Consumers 2017 series is proudly sponsored by PwC.