The Safety Net
January 2026
| Stay informed with the latest insights, updates, and initiatives dedicated to enhancing patient safety. | | |
On behalf of the PFPSC Board, we wish you a very Happy New Year! We look forward to continuing our work with you and our external partners through this next quarter and year!
Again, we wish to express our gratitude to all of you for your ongoing contributions and support this past year! It was a challenging year for us we tried to strengthen our independence as a new not-for-profit organization. We will continue to work through challenges we face this coming year. We welcome feedback and suggestions anytime. Highlights include:
Regarding the Board and Board Committees:
Our board continued to focus on our strategic direction planning and discussions with various funders – a Fundraising Working Group was set up to continue accessing different sources of funding, talking with and/or applying for funding grants and seed monies (for operating expenses), and explore new opportunities through a collaborative funding model that would involve several organizations contributing similar amounts of grant dollars to reach our target each year to over 3+ years.
o We continue to have seven board members (five PFPSC members and two external members) but will be exploring recruitment in early 2026 since at least two members will be stepping down as of June. Our term for board members is two years with renewal possible for another two years.
o Our Board Committees (Governance, Communications and Finance/Audit/Resources) meet quarterly and did not meet this past quarter. Updates from any of these committees can be requested at any time. We are also seeking new members, both PFPSC and external partners for the three committees – interested members please contact Janet at janet.bradshaw@patients4safety.ca or Kathy Kovacs Burns at kathy.kovacsburns@ualberta.ca. The Governance Committee will follow up with all candidates.
A financial report will be presented at the All Members Meeting scheduled for January 27th at 1200 MT. Let Janet know if you do not have the zoom invitation.
| | Mutual Healing Working Group Update | | |
As noted in a previous report we have not been successful at this point in acquiring a partner to pilot the comprehensive program that we have developed with the expert assistance of Diane Aubin. We did meet with a senior leader from one of the organizations who had expressed interest in the project to delve into what the barrier (s) was in moving ahead with the MH program. The main reason seemed to be that the organization was not yet at a place where they felt comfortable initiating this program due to fear of the unknown, fear of retraumatizing staff, fear of reliving a bad situation, fear of loss of reputation, lack of resources to name a few. We are going to meet with the organization on Feb 2nd to discuss how PFPSC may collaborate with them to bring needed education for staff on communicating with patients and families following a harmful incident. It was felt this was needed before moving on to the Mutual Healing program.
The plan is to incorporate the Mutual Healing material we have developed into the PSIM resources as discussed in the PSIM report (see below). The thought is that by adding MH into those resources the concept will be introduced to healthcare organizations as it is meant to be an adjunct to the Incident Management process. Perhaps this will make it less scary for organizations.
We were made aware ( thank you Ioana Popescu!) of a Canadian nurse, Chris Rokosh, who is an often sought after expert witness in Litigation cases. She hosts a podcast that we are hoping to be guests on ( with Board approval) to introduce Mutual Healing and how it can help all parties to heal after a harmful event. Donna has been in contact with Chris. They plan to meet later this month.
You can go to Chris Rokosh of Connect Medical Legal Experts Inc. website Inside Medical Malpractice https://www.connectmlx.com/chris-rokosh for more podcasts that may be of interest to you. Of particular note is a newly released podcast “Healing Patients, Healing Providers: Communication is Care”
We continue to be hopeful that Mutual Healing will slowly make its way into the system as we integrate the concept into incident management processes and spread the word about the value of communications between healthcare workers and patients/families.
Together for healing,
The Mutual Healing Working Group (MHWG)
Donna Davis, Wendy Nicklin (co-chairs), Dale Nixon, Linda Hughes. External members: Amy Nakajima, Alice Watt.
| | Knowledge Transfer (KT) Working Group Update | | |
The Knowledge Transfer Group with assistance from the Communication Group is posting on Facebook and Instagram. The intent is to post items which bring people back to the PFPSC website. It would be very helpful if all PFPSC Members follow PFPSC on these platforms and post a ‘like’ or a comment. If you have any ideas for patient safety topics email Theresa MM with your ideas.
In November 2025 the KT Group posted information on the PFPSC website for Pressure Injury Prevention day and for World Anti-microbial Awareness Week. Check out these postings on the PFPSC website. The fall of 2025 was very busy with multiple patient safety campaigns – a very large Thank You to KT Members – Esha Ray Chaudhuri, Paula Orecklin and Kathy Kovacs Burns as well as Shalini Periyalwar and Donna Davis from the Communication Group.
The KT Group is always looking for new members. Contact Theresa Malloy-Miller if you are interested.
PFPSC Knowledge Transfer Group
Theresa Malloy-Miller, Chair, Paula Orecklin, Esha Ray Chaudhuri, Kathy Kovacs Burns, Andrew Milroy
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Communications Working Group Update
Supporting Communication and Connection
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The main role of the CWG is to add/approve information for the website and to develop and distribute the PFPSC newsletter. Janet is invaluable as the connection with Binary Logic who maintain the website. If you have ideas for either one please send them to Donna or Janet.
We also assist the Knowledge Transfer group with designing and posting social media material. It is important for PFPSC to maintain a presence on our various social media platforms- FaceBook and Instagram consistently. I know the Knowledge Transfer Group and the CWG would happily welcome some help/suggestions for this task.
PFPSC also received confirmation of funds from HIROC to develop a communication toolkit. We will be assisting with the hiring of the contractor and working with that person to develop the toolkit contents. As with the PSIM funds, the timeline for completion of this deliverable will have to be negotiated with HIROC.
We extend a warm welcome to a member to join this working group.
Together for Patient Safety,
The CWG
Donna Davis (chair), Shalini Periyalwar, Sanja Pavlovic
| | Patient Safety & Incident Management | | |
Joni Magil and Linda Hughes presented on incident management to the Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) organization on October 29,2025. Over 100 persons attended and there were many questions and lots of interest in the topic. We built on the experiences of Joni's husband who had major challenges related to the diagnosis and treatment of an infection.
With confirmation of funds from HIROC, the working group will be involved in developing an incident management/mutual healing resource building on the material we have used several times in presentations on the subject to nurses, students and medical students. Timelines for completion of this toolkit will be negotiated with HIROC
Patient Safety and Incident Management Group
Donna Davis (chair), Linda Hughes, Melissa Sheldrick, Theresa Malloy-Miller, Kathy Kovacs Burns, Dale Nixon.
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The Membership Working Group is pleased to welcome Latifa Nasari to PFPSC. She has already begun volunteering her time and we are grateful to have her as part of our group. Welcome, Latifa!
If you want to feel the pulse of PFPSC consider joining this dynamic group. Contact amsheldrick@gmail.com
Membership Working Group
Melissa Sheldrick (chair), Donna Davis.
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With Janet's help, we refreshed the Gallery for World AMR Awareness Week in November.
I'm always grateful for the thoughtful art pieces selected from the Gallery to include in presentations and the newsletter. People have commented how much they appreciate this unique and moving approach to engage with our work. I hope it speaks to you, too.
You're invited to keep the Gallery vibrant. If you have artist friends, please share the Gallery link with them. Or if someone you know has experienced harm, they're also welcome to contribute their creative voice.
Term of the month: Ekphrasis: Writing that vividly describes or responds to visual art, often interpreting its spirit or story. Perhaps that idea will spark something in you.
Submitted by Kim on behalf of Kim and Samaria
HeART of HeathCARE Virtual Gallery
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Samaria Nancy Cardinal
I’m Samaria Nancy Cardinal. I’m a Blackfoot-Métis woman, and I was raised with traditional Indigenous teachings and culture. Those teachings shape how I show up in the world: with respect, responsibility, and a deep belief that healing happens in relationship, with ourselves, with each other, and with community.
Professionally, I’m a registered social worker and trauma therapist with more than 20 years of experience supporting people through disability, addictions, and mental health challenges. I am currently a candidate for the Registered Clinical Social Work designation. My work blends evidence-based clinical practice with Indigenous ways of knowing; often described as a “two-eyed seeing” approach.
Outside of my patient advocacy work, I’m driven by a simple question: What helps people feel safe enough to tell the truth about what they’re experiencing?
For many people, especially those who have been harmed or overlooked by systems, safety isn’t just physical. It’s emotional, cultural, and relational. I’m passionate about:
- Culturally safe care that honours identity, history, and lived experience
- Trauma-informed practice that recognizes how past experiences shape present needs
- Clear, respectful communication so people can make informed choices about their care
- Accountability with compassion, holding systems to a high standard while keeping humanity at the centre
I run an Indigenous-owned private practice, Flower In The Wind Therapy, based in Calgary with virtual services across Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan. I support youth, adults, and families with trauma recovery, nervous system regulation, and relationship repair. I also teach social work at Mount Royal University in Calgary.
I’m newly married, and the past year has been one of learning, grief, healing, and growth. I’m grounded by nature and often use seasonal and weather metaphors in my work, because change is real, and so is renewal. I also believe “patient safety” includes the right to be treated with dignity, to be believed, and to have concerns taken seriously.
My hope is that we keep building a culture where people feel safe to speak up, and where listening is treated as a clinical skill, not just a courtesy. When we centre respect, transparency, and relationship, patient safety becomes something we practice every day.
- A value I live by: Respect in all relations
- A practice that keeps me grounded: Quiet time in nature (even a short walk)
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A word I return to often: Belonging
Kinanaskomitin,
Samaria Nancy Cardinal
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Kim Neudorf
Professional Life: Kim is a retired nurse educator. She taught in several Saskatchewan nursing programs.
Personal Life: Kim has lived in north-central Saskatchewan, on the fringe of the boreal forest, her entire life. Some of her favourite life experiences include the lakes and forest of this area. They have two adult children. One is a nurse the other is a teacher. Kim oversaw the care of her mother for several years and often writes of her experiences as a caregiver. She likes to participate in activities that promote optimal holistic health. She bikes, hikes, plays pickleball, golfs, X-country skies, and enjoys creative activities, such as writing and watercolour painting.
Kim’s story: Kim’s story is actually her mother’s story—a story she was unable to tell, because the trauma erased all memory of the event. Such amnesia often affects patients who have been critically ill. Kim accompanied her mother from the moment she met her on the front step. One look told her something was terribly wrong: her mother’s face and lips were swollen, everything was an effort, she complained of back pain, and she wore heavy mittens on that warm June morning.
Convincing healthcare providers of the significant change proved difficult. They saw degenerative cognitive impairment—dementia—while Kim saw something entirely different: an acute alarming decline. At one point Kim’s brother, who was a carpenter called to say, “Mom looks like she’s going to die. She looks like Dad did when he died.” He was right, she crashed within hours of this observation.
Their mother had a urine infection and pneumonia, and she was septic. This resulted in a life-threatening immune response that affected her vital organs and destroyed her red blood cells. A skilled critical care team took over, and after six weeks in hospital, she recovered, but was never quite the same again.
Key features of Kim’s medical harm story:
Kim believed that although her mother’s incident was categorized as a misdiagnosis, its roots lay in poor communication, and a failure to listen to family concerns, compounded by the frequent turnover among physicians and nurses. As a nurse herself, Kim knew how to advocate for optimal patient outcomes, yet as a family member she felt her voice carried less weight.
Patients with unrecognized sepsis often return to the ER repeatedly before receiving the care they need. Her mother’s experience reflected this tragic pattern. Following a lengthy investigation, the health authority apologized for the harm caused. Among their responses they introduced daily huddles, now standard practice, and proposed a new policy allowing patients to transfer to another hospital if they chose.
Lessons learned
Recovering from sepsis carries immense personal, economic and social costs. Preventing infection and recognizing sepsis early is critical to improving safety and survival. Efficiency and effectiveness are strengthened when patients, caregivers and providers communicate clearly and respond quickly to early warning signs.
Family members often detect subtle changes in their loved one’s condition; that insight is as asset, not an obstacle. If something feels wrong, speak up. Ask whether additional diagnostic tests or a transfer to a tertiary care centre are warranted. When sepsis goes unrecognized every minute counts: vital organs fail, and the consequences can be lifelong or fatal.
Advocacy journey and focus
Kim joined PFPSC in 2009, as a result of her experience with her mom. Donna Davis was the first person she met. She was delighted there was a patient and family driven organization to improve safety. Kim has invested deeply in patient safety and regularly attends courses and webinars to keep her participation relevant. Her focus is the prevention of healthcare-associated and community-associated infections. She’s a member of Sepsis Canada, and each year participates in the World Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Awareness campaign for the appropriate use of antibiotics. She was on the Infection Prevention and Control Canada Board for three years. Kim also participated in the development and revision of national standards relevant to infection prevention. She participates as a collaborator in various research projects. In October she presented to the House of Commons Science and Research Study on AMR, with plans to present in February to HESA with the House of Commons on AMR. She has delivered webinars and published on patient safety and infection. As a patient partner with the Saskatchewan Health Authority she participates in the Patient Safety Executive Committee, and in weekly reviews of Critical Incidents with Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Health. She champions patient agency, believing empowerment is essential for people to take part in decisions about their care, such as in the prevention of healthcare-acquired infections. Kim and Samaria co-chair PFPSC’s HeART of HealthCARE gallery.
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Melissa Sheldrick
My name is Melissa Sheldrick, and I come into this landscape of patient safety after the loss of my 8-year-old son, Andrew in 2016 from preventable medication errors made during the dispensing process. I was a teacher in Toronto for many years but transitioned to being the Patient and Family Advisor at the Institute for Safe Medication Practices Canada (ISMP Canada) where I bring my lived experience to the work that we do in medication safety.
After we learned why Andrew died, I made it my work to try and prevent this from happening to another family. I learned that (in 2016) there was no mandatory reporting and learning mechanism for errors that happen in community pharmacy in my home province of Ontario. This only happened in Nova Scotia, and I wondered why it wasn’t happening across the rest of the country. I took on the role of advocating for it in all provinces and I am beyond proud to share that as of 2026, we have 9 out of 10 provinces who have these programs in place. Errors happen but when there can be learning, it increases the chance of prevention.
I have a 24-year-old daughter, Sam, and I have been married to my husband, Al, for 28 years. Our dog, Scarlet keeps us on our toes and makes us laugh, every single day. I sing in a 180-voice community choir which brings me incredible joy. I love to travel and always have my camera or my phone camera at the ready! I have been fortunate to travel with my choir, for work, and with family and friends.
Finding PFPSC when I was just beginning in my patient safety journey gave me a sense of community. It gave me a feeling of being productive in a scenario where I had no control. Finding people who want to make a difference in health care, like I do, gives me a sense of purpose and belonging. As Chair of the Membership Working Group, I have the opportunity to meet all of our new members and share this experience with them.
| | | We will feature 2-3 member profiles in each newsletter to get to know each other better. Please send your profile and picture to hello@patients4safety.ca | |
What Our Members Are Up To
| | How Our Members Contribute to Safer Healthcare | | |
Canadian Alliance for Patient Safety – The Alliance: January 2026 Update
The Alliance is a project inspired by PFPSC in 2018 and currently co-led between ISMP Canada (Melissa Sheldrick and Carolyn Hoffman) and PFPSC (Theresa Malloy-Miller and Arvin Minocha). All sixteen member organizations have a focus on patient safety and include pan-Canadian organizations like the Canadian Medical Association and Healthcare Excellence Canada, as well as provincial quality and safety groups. Some organizations are represented by a patient partner and a staff person. The goal is to have all organizations be represented by both. In addition there are 5 independent patient partners.
PFPSC Members are part of the Alliance through patient safety-focused organizations other than PFPSC. Kim Neudorf sits as a patient partner with the Saskatchewan Health Authority; Paula Orecklin sits as a patient partner with Choosing Wisely and Judy Birdsell sits as an independent patient partner connected through her work with Imagine Citizens Network.
The Alliance Aims to:
· Grow a learning community of people and organizations focused on patient safety.
· Provide a forum for members to share information, data, actions and resources
· Ensure lived experiences with patient safety are central to mobilizing actions for improving safety
· Work together to advance specific safety objectives or initiatives brought forward by members
The benefit for PFPSC is that the Alliance provides an ongoing opportunity to build connections with other Canadian health groups who are focused on patient safety. Alliance partners have joined in PFPSC webinars and provided links to their patient safety resources for PFPSC to build website content about patient safety concerns.
In December 2025, at the quarterly Alliance meeting patient & family Engagement in patient safety projects, resources or programs of Alliance Members were celebrated. Look for a summary of these achievements on the PFPSC website in the next few weeks. Also the Alliance is considering a virtual conference in the fall of 2026 which would showcase the patient safety projects of Alliance members. More to come about this potential conference.
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Kim Neudorf
-designed cover art and fiction story for digital interprofessional magazine: Stories of collective Impact https://isu.pub/nzUaJCS
-participated in World AMR Aware Campaign (meetings, updated website and gallery, social media push messages) Nov 18-24
-participated in inaugural meeting of WHO Civil Society Task Force on AMR Nov 18
-participated in review of journal for publication with research team on the role of pharmacists in antimicrobial stewardship (PHASST) (ongoing)
-participated in research project that intends to bring calm to the dementia client through virtual image exposure (ongoing)
-participated in a research project that intends to build resilience in caregivers (ongoing)
-coordinated by IPAC Canada, I met with MPs in Ottawa to pitch targeted messages re: AMR (Sept 22 )
-delivered presentation on AMR (virtual) to parliamentarians on AMR (Oct 26)
-attended PFPSC Teaming for Safety webinar for IPAC Canada and other webinars for sepsis and AMR
-received certificate of completion for IHI RCA2 for critical incidents (Sept-Nov)
-written papers on sepsis, but not sure if they will be published.
-prepared brief for HESA House of Commons re: AMR
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Donna Davis
> Patient advisor with ISMP contributing to the development of the content/ facilitation of the workshop and evaluation of a Train-the-Trainer Workshop: Supporting Effective Communication Between Healthcare Professionals and their Patients after a Medication Error" from Jan to Dec 2026.
>Sit on the Patient Advisory Council with the Hospital Standards Organization reviewing/ revising existing standards.
>Participant in the Healthcare Excellence Canada Action Series- Leading Safety Differently. This is a 4 month series where participants learn, share and act to amplify that patient safety is more than the absence of harm.
> Participant in a HEC led focus group to provide insights that will guide the future direction of the re-development of the
Hospital Harm Improvement Resource (HHIR) — a tool designed to support understanding and use of the Hospital Harm measure and to advance patient safety improvement efforts. The re-development of The Hospital Harm Improvement Resource aims to link data and measurement from the Hospital Harm report with evidence-informed practices to support organizations in their safety improvement efforts as well as ensuring that it aligns with Rethinking Patient Safety
>In March I will be giving an annual presentation that I have done for the last several years to the Internal Medicine U of Sask. College of Medicine residents/students.
Internally, I also chair the PFPSC Communication Working Group, chair the PFPSC Patient Safety Incident Management Working Group, co-chair the PFPSC Mutual Healing Working Group with Wendy Nicklin and sit on the PFPSC Membership Working Group
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Samaria Nancy Cardinal:
I am still on the Equal Access to Palliative Care for Homeless and Indigenous People in Urban Areas Committee with Healthcare Excellence Canada. We will be meeting in Winnipeg for 3 days to work on the program's sustainability.
I am a member of the expert advisory committee on Hospital Harm with Healthcare Excellence Canada. We have just had one meeting so far.
I will be co-presenting a two-day cultural awareness training webinar for new patient advocates at Healthcare Excellence Canada.
I also did a podcast for CJSW, Many Different Birds on my story with the healthcare system to being a mental health therapist in private practice.
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Beth Campbell Duke:
By far the biggest patient safety issue my family faces is that healthcare meets the ongoing pandemic and the current respiratory virus season with NO safety mitigations. As a result, we triage each appointment and interaction with the incomplete information we have. The cognitive load on me as the caregiver is significant and should be unnecessary. COVID remains a significant physical and psychological patient safety issue.
In my household, 'we' means 2 frail elderly parents (cognitive and physical health issues), 1 husband (transplant and cancer patient with cognitive issues from a MVA/medical harm) and myself.
We wear respirators when sharing indoor air and use an Aranet to monitor CO2/ventilation. The hesitancy of healthcare professionals to use airborne PPE means we have avoided healthcare and dental care, arrange parking lot and phone visits, and have an isolation/testing protocol when any of us has to remove our respirator during an appointment. (We use a PlusLife LAMP tester which is highly sensitive, expensive ,and it's somewhat difficult to obtain the tests.)
For activities outside of our own advocacy, I do the following:
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I have a blog post on my website that outlines what/why/how of protections that patients and care partners can take (https://navigatinghealthcare.ca/covid-protection-policy/)
- I volunteer for Do No Harm BC which is an advocacy group for improved PPE/airborne precautions in healthcare (DoNoHarmBC.ca)
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Kathy Kovacs Burns:
Many committees were fairly quiet this past quarter.
>I worked with HEC to review their proposed revisions to their strategic plan and provided input regarding a new patient safety action series they launched.
>I also attended two meetings on behalf of PFSPC - one was with the Health Canada Food and Drug Directorate, Natural Health Products regarding labelling requirements; and the second one was with |National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorization in December regarding the submission of new pain medication dosages and blends - e.g. acetaminophen and ibuprofen.
| | Joni Magil and Linda Hughes presented on incident management to the Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) organization on October 29,2025. Over 100 persons attended and there were many questions and lots of interest in the topic. We built on the experiences of Joni's husband who had major challenges related to the diagnosis and treatment of an infection. | | |
Eileen Chang
> September 29, 2025 Interprofessional Education Workshop for patients, family member/caregiver partners, students university faculty and staff, held by the Centre for Advancing Collaborative Healthcare & Education (CACHE), University Health Network. Purpose of workshop : to build knowledge and skills in facilitation to support role within the Interprofessional Education (IPE) Curriculum.
> December 10, 2025: PFPSC Patient/caregiver Representative Member of the Advisory Panel for The Institute for Safe Medication Practices Canada (ISMP Canada) for the update to the Hospital Medication Safety Self-Assessment (MSSA-Hospital). “The MSSA-Hospital will include general strategies for safety, as well as key areas of vulnerability for harmful medication incidents.” Meeting #1 Reviewed draft content. Meeting #2 (scheduled for Wednesday, March 25, 2026) will be to update content review.
| | Do you have contributions you'd like to highlight for the next newsletter? Please reach out to hello@patients4safety.ca | |
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Our next all member meeting is on Jan 27, 2026. We are offering one time slot: 11:00am PT/ noon MT/ 1:00 pm CT/ 2pm ET. If you need the invite please contact Janet at hello@patients4safety.ca.
Health Quality Alberta is an Alliance Member and they offer free workshops on incident analysis and ‘just’ individual assessment. They are aimed at patient safety officers primarily, patient partners may benefit from knowing what the process is. Dates and information at this link: Just Culture Courses < Health Quality Alberta (hqa.ca)
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The importance of listening to patients, families, and Caregivers has been shared with the healthcare community for a very long time. Here is a Dr. who “gets it.” Thank you Dr. AlRohaimi
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Asking To Be Heard
Families are often the first to sense when something is not quite right. A small change, a subtle shift, a quiet worry—noticed in the spaces between routine moments and long nights at the bedside. What helps us most is hearing that story plainly: what has changed, when it began, and how it differs from a child’s usual baseline. Simple details about breathing, feeding, seizures, energy, or comfort, shared in a clear timeline, allow us to understand both the change and its urgency.
These observations carry a weight that cannot be captured by numbers alone. Phrases like “She’s not herself today” or “Something feels different” rise from constant presence and deep familiarity. In medicine, change does not always announce itself loudly; sometimes it whispers. Families are often the first to hear it.
Parents and caregivers are the true keepers of a child’s baseline, especially for children who cannot always voice discomfort themselves. When usual patterns no longer hold, when symptoms worsen or familiar plans stop working, or when concern lingers despite reassurance, those moments deserve escalation to the Most Responsible Physician (MRP). A caregiver’s instinct that something is wrong is not an interruption—it is information.
Our care is strongest when built on this partnership. When families speak openly and without minimizing their worries, they help us see more clearly and act more safely. Care begins with listening, and often the most important signal is not found in a chart or monitor, but in a parent’s voice—steady, intuitive, and asking to be heard.
Norah AlRohaimi, MBBS
Pediatric Complex Care Fellow
McMaster University
What Dr AlRohaimi so eloquently shares above is true for all patients, whether a child, a spouse, a sister, a brother, a grandparent- those sitting at the bedside of their loved one know them best and often notice the subtle changes in their condition. Speak up- respectfully but firmly until your voice is heard.
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Secure your connections
Cyber Security is important for everyone. In this section of the newsletter we will share tips that can help you keep yourself and Patients for Patient Safety Canada safe. Please take a few minutes to review.
Secure your connections - Get Cyber Safe
| | | | Reading/Listening Suggestions | | |
Can a patient reasonably expect to get a timely second opinion?
The CMA's Code of Ethics and Professionalism states "Respect the patient's reasonable request for a second opinion from a recognized medical expert."
The Canadian Cancer Society provides some guidance on getting second opinions.
A second opinion can tell you that all the right tests have been done and that the test results have been interpreted properly. Hearing what another doctor says may help you feel better and more confident about your treatment decisions.
Some private insurance companies cover the costs associated with getting a second opinion. It's a good idea for patients to check with their insurance providers prior to meeting a doctor for s second opinion. For example, see Sunlife
Finally, the provincial healthcare authorities also provide information on second opinions. For example, Alberta's health information site suggests:
If you aren't comfortable asking your doctor for a name, check with your provincial health plan, a local medical society, or the nearest university hospital.
Follow CBC Health’s Second Opinion for the latest news on what’s happening in healthcare across the country. CBC News Second Opinion
Doctors and Litigation: The L Word podcasts
Communication After Catastrophe
Listen on Apple podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/doctors-and-litigation-the-l-word/id1469155084?i=1000731516543 with Dr. Anthony Orsini of The Orsini Way. Here is an excerpt from the intro to this podcast.
Communication with patients or families after unexpected medical events is crucial, but most of us have no formal training in how to do it well. Compassionate and skilled conversations can pave the way for understanding and closure for families. However, when handled poorly or defensively, these conversations can create resentment, distrust, and anger, which can also make litigation more likely. What do patients and families want from us in these moments? What do we do with our body language? What happens if we cry? Can we show compassion by touch, on the hand or the shoulder? Why is this so difficult? Have we lost our humanity in the name of professionalism? Dr. Orsini has spent the last 25 years developing proven communication techniques that help doctors build rapport and quickly form trusting relationships with their patients. Come along as we discuss evidence based strategies to handling these conversations better.
From a PFPSC member: “After listening to this podcast I have to say, to hear a physician repeat exactly what patients and families have been saying for years about communication during and after a harmful incident is so validating and gives hope that it will become the norm.”
Listen to the many podcasts Inside Medical Malpractice hosted by Chris Rokosh of Connect Medical Legal Experts Inc. Chris was previously referred to earlier in the newsletter in the Mutual Healing working Group report. You will hear stories and valuable information we can all relate to from patients, families, healthcare providers and lawyers.
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