Resilience and Engagement in Crisis: Fostering Trauma-Informed Care and Patient Partnerships Into the Future.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly disrupted patient engagement and exposed long-standing inequities within Canada's healthcare system. As a patient partner and caregiver, the author reflects on the exacerbated challenges during the pandemic, particularly for hardly reached communities and those managing chronic conditions. The crisis highlighted the absence of opportunities for patient partnership, with healthcare organizations halting engagement activities despite an increased need for communication and community involvement. The pandemic underlined the necessity of trauma-informed care and engagement-capable environments (ECE). To address these challenges, the author advocates for integrating trauma-informed practices with ECEs, thereby promoting a healthcare model that is both structurally supportive and responsive to individual trauma and resilience. By focusing on compassion, recognizing trauma and fostering engagement, such an approach could enhance patient outcomes and create a more adaptive, inclusive healthcare environment.