Beyond Adherence: Transforming Medication Management with Person-Centered Care
Details
In healthcare, medication adherence has traditionally been viewed as the cornerstone of effective treatment. However, this approach often overlooks the patient’s lived experience and the complexities of managing medications in everyday life. This talk shifts the focus from adherence to a more holistic understanding of medication self-management, recognizing that patients and their care partners play a vital role in ensuring safe and effective medication use. We will explore the challenges of medication-related harm, the importance of meaningful patient and care partner involvement in medication decisions, and the need to assess what truly matters to individuals in their medication experiences. By shifting towards a person-centered approach, healthcare providers can improve both the quality and safety of care, aligning treatment with patients’ preferences and needs.
Learning Objectives:
1. Identify the limitations of traditional medication adherence frameworks and understand the principles of medication self-management.
2. Understand the impact of medication-related harm and the importance of involving patients and care partners in medication management.
3. Explore strategies for measuring patient-centered experiences to improve the quality of care.
Dr. Sara J.T. Guilcher BSc, MScPT, MSc, PhD
University of Toronto
Dr. Sara Guilcher is currently the Interim Chair and Graduate Chair of the Department of Physical Therapy and Associate Professor the University of Toronto. Dr. Guilcher also has appointments at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation and the Rehabilitation Sciences Institute at the University of Toronto.
As an applied health services and implementation scientist, Dr. Guilcher’s interdisciplinary research program primarily addresses personcentred and integrated care for equity-deserving populations. Dr. Guilcher serves as the Scientific Director of the Optimizing Health and Healthcare Experiences (OPTI-HEx) Laboratory. Dr. Guilcher previously held other senior leadership roles including Acting Associate Dean, Research and a Canadian Institutes for Health Research Embedded Clinician Scientist working with Health Quality Ontario (now Ontario Health) to inform learning health system science and health quality.
Dr. Guilcher and team have received numerous awards and recognitions for their academic scholarship and leadership, including the Department of Physical Therapy Alumni Award at the University of Toronto. Dr. Guilcher currently holds a salary award as a Pain Scientist at the University of Toronto Centre for the Study of Pain.