Jewish General Hospital - Press releases

2010/02/08

Complaints are Good: Turning Negative Interactions into Positive Outcomes

Paradoxical though it may seem, the best way to reduce the number of complaints is by inviting more of them. Yet, this strategy makes perfect sense to Rosemary Steinberg, the Jewish General Hospital’s Local Commissioner of Complaints and Quality of Services. “We don’t view any feedback as negative,” says Ms. Steinberg. “Complaints by patients and their families all have the potential to end in a positive way. This kind of collaboration helps us to achieve greater efficiency and lessen the chance of error–in short, complaints are crucial to improving the quality of care we offer.”

Ms. Steinberg will present Complaints are Good: Turning Negative Interactions into Positive Outcomes on Wednesday, February 10, at the Jewish General Hospital, as part of The Howard Aaron Kendall Memorial Lecture. She will discuss role of the Ombudsman, and explain how the hospital learns from some of the common complaints and concerns of patients and families. “My goal is to help people better understand the complaints process as it exists in the hospital,” says Ms. Steinberg, “and how effective a thoughtfully made complaint can be in improving quality of care.”

The talk is one in a series of activities planned for the JGH’s 14th Annual Humanization of Care Awareness Week, beginning February 8. This year’s theme is Achieving better outcomes through effective communication.

The lecture begins at 7:00 p.m. in the JGH’s Block Amphitheatre (room B-106). Refreshments will be served and parking in the visitors’ parking lot (Légaré Street) will be free. Tickets must be reserved in advance by calling 514-340-8222, local 8621.