A London doctor has won a Bright Lights Award from the Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario for her work to improve patient health.
Dr. Cathy Faulds won in the category of leadership and governance in a changing environment.
The awards recognize individuals for their work to improve the value of services delivered by primary care teams in Ontario. The winners were selected by a panel of judges from more than 60 nominations.
Faulds introduced an online communications initiative that allows patients to have engage with their physicians and team members and offers them access to information about their health concerns.
In a summary of her achievements it was noted that Faulds has embraced social media and online tools in patient care.
As well, while in exam rooms, her patients are able to access information about their health concerns via specially programmed iPads that address topics such as nutrition and resources.
Email allows the team to remind patients of appointments, and a Facebook page provides patients a forum for offering feedback about various clinic programs.
Faulds is co-founder and former clinical lead of the London Family Health Team and a clinical professor at Western University’s medical school, as well as a member of several provincial advisory committees.
Faulds was one of eight recipients of the award.
All eight award winners will receive education grants from the Bright Lights sponsors – Boehringer-Ingelheim Inc. and Merck Canada Inc.
