More healthcare organizations across Ontario are adopting an innovative tool developed by Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH) that is helping patients and caregivers have clearer, more informed conversations about future healthcare decisions before a medical crisis occurs.
Created by RVH physicians Dr. Giulio DiDiodato, Dr. Chris Martin, and Dr. Doug Austgarden, ASKmeGOC is a research-backed, web-based tool designed to support discussions about treatment preferences, resuscitation decisions, and overall goals of care.
For many patients and families, these conversations happen for the first time during a health emergency when emotions are heightened, and difficult decisions must be made quickly. Healthcare leaders say ASKmeGOC is helping shift those discussions earlier, creating opportunities for patients and caregivers to reflect on their values and wishes in a more supportive environment.
Growing Adoption Across Ontario
The tool is now being implemented by hospitals, primary care teams and community organizations across the province, including the Muskoka Almaguin Ontario Health Team and several of its member organizations, Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare, Niagara Health, Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital, Sault Area Hospital, Hotel Dieu Shaver Rehabilitation Hospital, Victoria Village, RVH’s Family Medicine Teaching Unit and other healthcare partners.
“This is a strong example of how community-based research can scale beyond a single organization,” said Dr. Giulio DiDiodato, Chief Research Scientist at RVH. “We designed ASKmeGOC to work in real-world settings, and now we’re seeing it adopted across hospitals, primary care, and community teams. That growth is important because, at its core, this tool is about improving the patient experience. It helps create a supportive environment where patients and caregivers can better understand their options, ask questions and make decisions that reflect their values and wishes.”
Supporting Better Conversations
ASKmeGOC helps patients and caregivers better understand their healthcare options and encourages meaningful discussions in hospitals, primary care clinics and community settings before urgent medical situations arise.
The tool is based on evidence from Canada’s largest randomized clinical trial conducted in a community hospital and funded by the Alectra Fund for Healthcare & Social Innovation. It gives healthcare teams a consistent framework for discussing goals of care while ensuring conversations remain focused on each patient’s individual needs, values and understanding of their health.
Healthcare providers using the tool say it is already making a difference in communities across Ontario.
“By having these conversations earlier in primary care, patients and caregivers can explore their wishes in a calmer, more supportive way,” said Dr. Sarah MacKinnon, Lead Physician at Sundridge & District Medical Centre. “It helps people feel more informed and better prepared, while making sure care decisions reflect what matters most to them.”
Creating a More Coordinated Patient Experience
Healthcare leaders say ASKmeGOC is also helping create a more seamless experience for patients as they move between different parts of the healthcare system.
“My experience with the program has been very positive,” said Dr. Melanie Mar, Chief of Family Medicine at Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare and Medical Director of the Algonquin Family Health Team. “It’s reassuring to know patients have already had thoughtful conversations about their goals of care and better understand their options before they arrive in more acute care settings.”
Another key benefit of the program is its ability to support a broader range of healthcare professionals in leading goals-of-care discussions. By enabling trained professionals such as nurses, paramedics and social workers to facilitate conversations, ASKmeGOC helps ensure patients and caregivers receive consistent support regardless of where they access care while also reducing administrative burden for physicians.
Funding Helping Expand Reach
Funding for ASKmeGOC was provided through the Health Care Unburdened Grant program, supported by the Canadian Medical Association, MD Financial Management Inc. and Scotiabank.
The funding is helping expand the tool’s use across hospitals, long-term care homes, family health teams and community organizations throughout Ontario.
As adoption continues to grow, healthcare organizations say ASKmeGOC is helping more patients and caregivers have earlier, clearer and more supported conversations about their healthcare wishes—before critical decisions need to be made.
