Congratulations to Fraser Northwest Division board member, hospitalist, and advance care planning champion Dr Joelle Bradley for winning the inaugural Dangerous Ideas Soapbox at the Canadian Family Medicine Forum in November 2013.

Submitters were challenged to present an idea that was very important and not necessarily popular, but that would drastically improve Canada’s health care system. In her submission Dr Bradley posed the provocative question: “Could advance care planning be like art?” Her proposal is based on the fact that cities such as New York have implemented an art bylaw that makes it mandatory for 1% of a new building project’s budget to be dedicated to public art, which beautifies a city and enhances local culture.

Using that concept, she suggests that 1% of health care dollars could be dedicated to advance care planning, as it beautifies end of life and enhances the quality of the dying experience for patients, loved ones, and health care providers.

Dr Bradley was selected as the prizewinner out of 56 interesting and dangerous idea submissions from all parts of Canada.