What is Patient and Family Centered Care? Dr. Tony DiGioia and the leaders at the Patient and Family Centered Care Innovation Center at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center say that Patient and Family Centered Care is the new Operating System for health care organizations. It is the way to do business.
“Patient and Family Centered Care, as a concept, is health care that is compassionate, includes patients and families as partners and collaborators, is provided with respect, and treat patients and families with dignity. It is care that revolves around the needs and desires of patients and families, rather than around the organizations and systems in which it is provided.”
This concept reminds me of a specific moment during my own rounding experience. I had a conversation with a patient who was frustrated that I asked about how the staff was doing, but I didn’t really ask about how he was doing. I was puzzled. I thought I was using caring language to see if the nurses checked in on him on a regular basis. I thought I was empathetic when I asked if we listened to him and helped him manage his pain. From his point of view, however, it was all about the organization and not him. I apologized, and since then, have been wondering what I could have done differently.
Recently, Barb Davis, VP of Accounts at CipherHealth, was prompted to think about the scripts used for leadership rounding on patients. Do we ask what they are afraid of when they are in our care? Studies show that patients are fearful – first of dying in our care and secondly of getting a debilitating and costly infection. Do we know what our patients fear? If we don’t ask and don’t know, how can we hope to alleviate their suffering and fears?
To read the rest of Barb's post, click here!