Health Quality Transformation 2018, a Health Quality Ontario event, is Canada’s largest conference on health care quality and this year it was held on October 17, 2018 in Toronto, London, Ottawa, Sudbury and Thunder Bay. The Ontario Physiotherapy Association was invited to exhibit once again this year at the conference in Toronto.
OPA staff were delighted to meet with conference delegates at OPA’s booth. With approximately 3000 delegates at this year’s event it was an excellent opportunity to advocate on behalf of the profession for greater access to physiotherapy. In addition, OPA staff networked with other health care providers, patients, policy makers, and stakeholders – all with vested interests in improving the quality of patient care in Ontario.
OPA exhibits at numerous conferences/events throughout the year. Selection of where to exhibit is based on the alignment of the event with the goals of the OPA Strategic Plan. These valued engagement opportunities allow us to interact with many different individuals, including patients and families, on a variety of topics. Physiotherapist volunteers and OPA staff hear about the very positive experiences people have had with physiotherapy, including their interest in learning more about physiotherapy and where they can access physiotherapy services. In addition, many learn more about current OPA advocacy efforts and initiatives.
At HQT, numerous OPA physiotherapist members who currently practice clinically and hold leadership positions within hospitals, government agencies and more, told us how excited they were to see OPA exhibiting and thank us for being present. At HQT and at many other events, OPA is able to gain relevant and useful insight into their concerns, and learn more about the successes of innovation and positive patient outcomes, which helps to inform the work and strategic direction of OPA. We are very grateful for the opportunity to continue to exhibit at this event and look forward to future HQO events!
By Sarah Grace Bebenek, Policy Analyst, Practice, Policy and Member Services at the Ontario Physiotherapy Association
