Special supplement | Reflections
The International Forum has always been shaped by moments when people were willing to stop, listen, and change direction. One of those moments came in 2014 when I attended the 19th annual International Forum in Paris, France, to give a keynote address. I travelled to Paris with my opening plenary prepared. However, on the overnight flight from Boston, MA, I read an article by Michael Barry and Susan Edgman-Levitan, longstanding leaders in shared decision making and patient- centred care. Deep within that piece was a single sentence that stopped me in my tracks: “You can’t only ask, ‘What’s the matter?’ We also have to ask, ‘What matters to you?’” I ripped up my talk then and there and rewrote it around one simple challenge: ask that question to the next patient you care for.What followed was unplanned. Within two weeks, stories began arriving from all over the world. People sent photographs, posters, drawings, and reflections describing how that one question changed conversations, relationships, and care. To learn from what was emerging, I started a monthly call where people could share stories, ideas, and lessons. Many years later, people from across the world still join those calls to learn together. What Matters to You quickly spread beyond patient and family conversations. The question began to be asked of staff, teams, and leaders. In many places, it has changed how people lead, how they listen, and how culture is shaped. It shifted the focus from problems and processes to people and purpose. Maureen Bisognano President emerita and senior fellow, Institute of Healthcare Improvement (IHI)
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