When Illness and Injury change our kids’ lives, this program empowers patients and families to become partners in their care.
When a child has increased medical needs, families often have big decisions to make about their lives – and it can feel sudden.
Sometimes they wake up one morning and learn that their house is no longer accessible for their child’s mobility needs, their favourite cereal now turns their stomach thanks to chemotherapy, or that their neuromuscular disorder means they can’t hold their spoon the same way they used to.
Injury and illness are life changing. Life can shift in the blink of an eye, and families need help to make sure that medical care doesn’t just happen to them.
Children’s Hospital’s Shared Decision Making Program gives families the personal support and resources they need to have agency during these life changing moments. Whether it’s taking the time to learn more about their options for treatment or decide what their goals are for the future – Shared Decision Making empowers patients and their families to be at the heart of their health care.
Thanks to the ground-breaking work of Dr. Craig Campbell, Division Head of Pediatric Neurology and Chair of the Department of Paediatrics, and Bonnie Wootan, Shared Decision Making Project Lead & Decision Coach, their launching and fostering of this program since 2018 has made Children’s Hospital the first paediatric hospital in Canada to provide families with this specialized coaching program.
From education sessions and one-on-one coaching to advisory groups, Ms. Wootan and Dr. Campbell’s incredible work has built Shared Decision Making into a family-centered program that gives patients and their families the opportunity to understand their medical needs and get the care they want and need for the long-term!
Our talented Shared Decision Making team has impacted over 100 patients from 10 paediatric clinical programs. There are many more to come as our community partner Muscular Dystrophy Canada (MDC) collaborated with Children’s in 2020 to jointly pilot the first Pediatric SDM Coaching Service & System Navigation program for patients with neuromuscular disorders and their families in Ontario.
Over the years, this collaboration has been proudly supported by London Ontario Fire, whose dedication to MDC and healthcare excellence has driven them to be tireless supporters of efforts that improve the lives of patients with neuromuscular disorders.
In celebration of this incredible work, MDC recognized Dr. Craig Campbell and Bonnie Wootan with the Excellence in Service Delivery Award on August 16, 2022. London Fire Station 11 generously hosted the award ceremony, which recognizes a group or organization who has partnered with Muscular Dystrophy Canada to advance their national mission delivery efforts and focus on areas where clients will experience the greatest benefit, through the delivery of support, networking or educational activities.
The Shared Decision Making Program at Children’s would not be possible without the dedication of Dr. Craig Campbell and Bonnie Wootan, the Shared Decision Making team, the visionary work and support of Muscular Dystrophy Canada and the generosity of Children’s Health Foundation donors. Shared Decision Making is proudly funded by Children’s Health Foundation.
When injury and illness change the lives of our kids, Shared Decision Making is here to help give families all the knowledge they need to choose the best medical care path for them.
