tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2848916293298934342.post2987636418390115627..comments2023-10-26T07:33:46.550-04:00Comments on 66 roses: Patients Included. But are we respected? Erin Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08027766394549526193noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2848916293298934342.post-32852397564192617642016-09-08T23:10:39.522-04:002016-09-08T23:10:39.522-04:00Excellent post, Erin, and an excellent attention-g...Excellent post, Erin, and an excellent attention-grabbing question in your title. I too have asked the question (usually about the same time I look around a hospital boardroom and figure out I'm the only person at the table not getting paid to be there). <br /><br />For some patients/advocates/family volunteers, it's actually costing them money to show up (when they have to take a day off work, use up vacation time, pay for their own travel expenses, etc). One invitation arrived last summer from a government health committee asking me to offer my input on a "patient engagement" project/slide show the group was preparing. It was particularly enlightening. All except one of the government bureaucrats attending had actually been flown in for this meeting with me, some from hundreds of miles away. They'd arrived the day before and chatted happily before our meeting started about the lovely waterfront hotel provided to them for this event. Ironically, my tax dollars were helping to fund both airfare and accommodation costs for half a dozen government employees. Every one of them was getting paid their regular salary, plus of course their generous out-of-office per diems. The worst part of all of this useless exercise was that the slide show I was purportedly invited to contribute feedback on was already completed. It was a done deal! My tokenistic presence seemed simply a way to check off the #PatientsIncluded tickbox on some bureaucrat's checklist...<br /><br />They did however generously offer to reimburse me for parking during our meeting (but alas, I had biked downtown so couldn't even claim that...) <br /><br />In case you missed it, see this similar column by Carly Medosch (another MedX alum) - called "Should Patients Be Paid?" http://blog.chronicarly.com/should-patients-be-paid/<br /><br />regard,<br />C.<br /><br />Carolyn Thomashttps://myheartsisters.org/2016/03/06/my-open-letter-to-patients-included-conferences/noreply@blogger.com