Who is the HQCA?
The Health Quality Council of Alberta (HQCA) is an independent government agency. We gather and
analyze information, monitor the healthcare system, and collaborate with Alberta Health, Alberta Health
Services, health professions, academia, and other stakeholders to translate that knowledge into practical
improvements to health service quality and patient safety in the healthcare system.
What will I get out of participating in this survey?
The summary results will be given to your doctor to help inform him/her to improve the quality of healthcare
patients receive at that clinic.
Why should I participate? Why can’t someone else do it?
We need to hear from patients who may have many different reasons for visiting this clinic and may have
different experiences during their visit. To make sure the survey results represent all patient perspectives,
each patient who visits this clinic will receive a survey.
Can I refuse?
Yes, your participation is completely voluntary. The clinic won’t know which patients filled out the survey,
and your participation will not influence the care you receive. We hope that you choose to participate, but it
is completely voluntary.
How will the information be used?
The information you provide in the survey will be analyzed and reviewed by the HQCA, who will then
develop a summary report for each doctor about their patient group. All information will be anonymous
and confidential.
How will you protect my privacy?
The HQCA is a provincial custodian under the Health Information Act of Alberta (HIA), and as such, the
information the HQCA collects is strictly protected and confidential. All survey results are completely
anonymous. No names are being collected and it will not be possible to identify individuals in the reports.
Will it be possible to identify me in the information?
No. The HQCA will not share any identifying information. Any information reported will be a summary of
all patient survey results. If the HQCA is concerned that a completed survey contains information that
could identify a patient, that information will be excluded from the reporting.
P R O M O T I N G A N D I M P R O V I N G PAT I E N T S A F E T Y A N D H E A LT H S E R V I C E Q U A L I T Y A C R O S S A L B E R TA
@HQCA
www.hqca.ca
Will the survey take a long time to fill out?
The survey should only take about 10-15 minutes to complete.
Why can’t I complete the survey for my child?
For this survey, we are just looking at the experiences of adults when they visit this clinic. Future surveys
may include children (and their parents or guardians), but for now we are just surveying adults.
Can I complete the survey for my relative who has dementia?
Yes. If you are a caregiver for someone who needs help completing the survey you may fill it out on their
behalf. The survey has a question that asks if anybody helped you to complete it.
Can I get a copy of the survey results?
The survey results will be provided to participating clinics and will not be made public. To see the results,
you would need to make a request to your doctor or the clinic where she/he works.
P R O M O T I N G A N D I M P R O V I N G PAT I E N T S A F E T Y A N D H E A LT H S E R V I C E Q U A L I T Y A C R O S S A L B E R TA
@HQCA
www.hqca.ca