Meet Our Team – Manager of PFCC

We connected with Shannon Schiffer, Manager of Patient and Family Centred Care (PFCC), Patient Experience, Engagement & Advocacy, to learn more about her role and how she supports PFCC at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC).

How long have you worked at TBRHSC?

I’ve worked here 12 years. I started as a Social Worker and transitioned to Patient and Family Centred Care in May 2020, initially serving as the Patient Advocate before becoming the manager of the department.

Tell us about your role as Manager of PFCC.

I am responsible for enhancing the overall quality of patient and family experiences through various initiatives including patient surveys, patient advocacy, post-discharge liaison, discharge transition lead, and patient family advisors.

I also provide leadership to programs and services aimed at improving the patient and family experience at TBRHSC. This involves using data from patient experience surveys and feedback from the patient advisory committee, supporting patient experience action plans based on patient experience metrics, and identifying opportunities for improvement. My goal is to align and enhance supporting programs to increase patient and family satisfaction, ensuring the intentional integration of the patient’s voice into everything that we do.

My role is crucial in ensuring the planning, delivery, and evaluation of health care that is rooted in mutually beneficial partnerships among health care professionals, patients, and families.

Patient and family centred care redefines relationships in health care by emphasizing collaboration through co-design with individuals of all ages, across all levels of care, and in all health care settings. This approach ensures that health care is responsive to the priorities, preferences, and values of patients and their families. In patient and family centred care, patients and families define their “family” and determine how they will participate in care and decision-making. This perspective acknowledges that patients and families are essential allies for health care quality and safety—not only in direct care encounters but also in efforts to improve health care for all, including research.

Find out more about Patient and Family Centred Care by visiting https://tbrhsc.net/home/caring-for-patients-families/