Measuring what matters

To examine what Canadians and the key stakeholders in the health sector (e.g., health care institutions and organizations, health care professionals, and health care funders) articulate as important and valued from a health perspective, we performed a qualitative analysis of the mission, vision, and value (MVV) statements for major health organizations; provider groups; and health care funders in [...] Thus, for the patient/consumer, health values are an expression of the “lens” of the person’s interactions with health care providers –such as the nurse, the physician or the emergency department – and the meaning those interactions have for the individual and family. [...] The cost of health care versus the values underlying health care must be examined from within the unique and very diverse perspectives of patients/consumers, health care organizations, health professionals, policy makers and system funders - each of which holds values that are based on their experience and socialization towards health care in Canada. [...] In the most recent CMA study, have consistently shown that Canadians Canadians suggested the establishment of an ombudsman, a health charter that believe the job of the health care system "outlines the rights and responsibilities of is not only to treat disease when patients patients,"10 p11 and a thorough publication of walk through the door of a hospital, but quality outcomes. [...] The most significant finding in the MVV analysis was the meaning of excellence in care being defined by the collaborative relationships between patients and health providers, and quality of care being an integral part of excellence defined by integration and coordination of care.