Specifically, the survey of 1,007 Quebecers, 18 years of age and older and able to speak English or French, measured Quebecers’ willingness to engage in improving the health and social services system, their perceptions of what should be the basis for key decisions related to the system, and their preferences for sharing their medical information. The results of the survey were presented, in french, at the symposium “Building Quebec’s Learning Health System Together” on March 24.
The results indicate that Quebecers want to be part of the solution, trust the science, value the well-being of the network’s human resources and support digital consent.
Antoine Groulx, Scientific director of the Unité de soutien SSA Québec
The survey results are consistent with the mission of the Unité de soutien SSA Québec which is to mobilize and support the research, health and social services communities, with and for the population, to improve care and service outcomes, patient experience and population health in an efficient and equitable manner while ensuring the well-being of health and social services human resources.
86% of people are interested in getting involved to help improve the health care system
In response to the question “How willing would you be to get personally involved in helping to improve the health care system?” the majority of Quebecers (86%) say they would be interested in getting personally involved in helping to improve the health care system. For half of these people, this involvement would be limited to participating in an online survey (49%), while 23% could participate in a meeting or citizen consultation. Finally, 14% of Quebecers would volunteer to work on a dedicated project team.
The well-being of health care teams and scientific studies should guide decision making
In response to the question “In your opinion, on what basis(s) should the government base its decisions about the health care system?“, Quebecers believe that the government should first base its decisions about the health care system on the well-being of health care teams (72%). Scientific studies (57%) are the second most important foundation of the health care system in the eyes of the public. Respondents were given the option of giving two responses, in order of priority, which explains why the total number of mentions may exceed 100%.
72% of Quebecers are willing to give consent online rather than on paper
When Quebecers are asked, “If you were to consent to share your health information to contribute to research to improve care, would you prefer to do so on a secure web page or via a paper form,” half (50%) would prefer a secure web page, while 18% would prefer to do so via a paper form. Finally, 22% have no preference in this regard.
Methodology
- Method: Web survey of 1007 Quebecers, 18 years of age and older, able to speak French or English, co-developed with the Unité de soutien SSA Québec’s partners.
- Margin of Error: The maximum margin of error for a sample of 1007 respondents is ±3.09%, 19 times out of 20.
See the presentation of the results in a video (in french)
About Unité de soutien SSA Québec
The Unité de soutien au système de santé apprenant (SSA) Québec is a provincial unit of the national Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR) funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). It works to enable continuous improvement in the health system and in the care and services of the population. Its pan-Quebec team mobilizes and supports the research, health and social services communities. It brings together several researchers who work within or outside the province’s health and social services institutions. For more details or to request a service, click here.