Kari Wutzke is one of several members of the public lending their voices and perspectives to the design of a new Interior Health person-centred website.
Although her participation in this project began a year ago, she has a lifetime of experience as a patient and someone who uses InteriorHealth.ca to get health information and access services.
“I have lived with chronic pain for almost as long as I can remember, ever since a car accident when I was 12,” says Kari. “I first became interested in health-related websites as a patient looking for answers. As an adult I became very involved in pain-related support groups. I eventually moved into coaching others dealing with similar challenges and advocating for positive changes in health services.”
A patient-focused lens on website design
“It’s so important to have a patient perspective in health-care services and in a big website like this. I think healthy people don’t necessarily understand what it’s like to navigate the system when you are dealing with health challenges.”
“People call me techy,” she says with a smile. “I guess I’m gifted in understanding technology. So it’s been exciting to be part of this project because I understand the work from the technical side and the patient side.”
To learn more about how public partners guided the design of InteriorHealth.ca, read Check out your new website.
Patient partners improve health-care
“My experience working with Interior Health has been very much a collaborative thing. I’ve seen a great amount of respect shown to the patient experience,” says Kari.
“The work is about improving the life of the patient. There are times when I have questioned what is being said. And they would acknowledge it and recognize it’s something they hadn’t considered before. It’s extremely important to incorporate the patient perspective. Listening to the patient makes the experience more personal for everyone.”
A word about partners
Improving health care is a team effort. In Partners Make us Better, we get to know people like Kari who partner with us at Interior Health to improve care for everyone in our region.
When asked how she likes to be described in her role with Interior Health, Kari says, “I am a patient – in that I stand tall and strong. But I am a patient with a voice.”
About the author
Karla Warkotsch is a patient experience consultant. She is a passionate advocate for public participation in health care and believes patient input is essential to providing excellent health care.
SCHF supports 100 Mile House & District General Hospital and health facilities, health projects, and the well-being of health-care providers & patients.
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