June is Stroke Awareness Month

Engaging the Patient and Enhancing their Experience

The Toronto Stroke Networks (TSNs) continue to work towards supporting a system that enhances the patient experience and integrates the patient’s voice throughout their recovery journey.

The TSNs are working together with acute care and rehabilitation organizations to integrate the interprofessional use of the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM^©). This tool captures the patient’s voice as they identify goals that are important to them and would like to focus on during their recovery. It also allows the patient to report on their improvement and rate their satisfaction with their performance.

In addition to capturing the patient’s voice, the TSNs are also facilitating education initiatives to support healthcare teams in empowering the patient to be an active member of their care team. Interprofessional stroke teams will have the opportunity to be trained in the Cognitive Orientation to daily Occupational Performance (CO-OP) Approach^TM. This approach supports the active participation of the patient to identify strategies to address their goals.  Problem solving skills that the patient develops with healthcare team members can continue to be utilized in their daily life even after they have left rehabilitation.

The patient is a key player in their recovery journey. The TSNs will continue to work with patient partners and interprofessional stroke teams throughout the regions to build a system that will support the best care and experiences for the patient. As we celebrate June is Stroke Awareness Month, we recognize that this has been an extraordinary year and we want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to our patients, their families and caregivers and all our stakeholders for sharing your stories and experiences as we join you in your journey.

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