Quebec's best practices for supporting patients with chronic conditions

This extraordinary training experience led them from discovering a local center dedicated to chronic diseases to the latest Technopôle of the Saint Justine University Hospital.

Since 2015, Quebec's public healthcare has been grouped into 23 CISSS (Integrated Health and Social Services Centers). These CISSS include the entire continuum of care, from community-based clinics to hospitals to rehabilitation and home care services. The creation of these superstructures aims to improve patient care trajectories by facilitating the coordination of health actors.

At the CIUSSS of the Centre de l'Ile in Montreal, FEHAP delegates had the opportunity to discover the structuring of one of these integrated groups, and to understand how, over time, its leaders strive to create a shared culture among the different health actors, and to improve care pathways. Without a unique information system, this task is complex, but the Ministry of Health and Social Services is investing in management to support these new practices, in particular through the deployment of Visual Stations (a participatory system for improving quality). .

Visiting a wide range of facilities has allowed our delegates to get an overview of the Quebec health system: from the Jewish Rehabilitation Hospital, where research is at the heart of care, to the Villa Medica, a hospital private with humanist practices. The discovery of the activities of the new Center of Expertise in Telemedicine at the CHU of Montreal allowed the French participants to understand more precisely the future directions for a Quebec care system that meets the needs of the population throughout its territory.

The conclusion of this exciting study mission is that setting up fluid care pathways for chronic patients is a complex and time-consuming process, even when an integrated organizational structure is in place. See you in five years to see the effects of reforms implemented in recent years!