When I was a chief quality and safety officer of a large health system, one of the things that frustrated me was a hesitancy by some in our organization to share bad news, even within our own ranks. If something went wrong in hospital A, it seemed only natural to me to tell our sister […]
Next month, after the holidays have been celebrated and the New Year embraced, nominations will open for the 2018 Sherman Award for Excellence in Patient Engagement. Now is the perfect time to review this past year’s projects, challenges and accomplishments, and find those individuals and programs that stand out for their efforts to engage patients […]
When we talk about patient and family engagement, it’s tough not to consider the barriers. Problems with health literacy, for example, may hinder patients’ understanding of diagnoses, medication regimens, and care plans. Fear of being considered “difficult” may prevent patients from speaking up. Providers may not have to tools, training, or time to actively engage […]
As a patient advocate for more than a decade, I felt exhilarated when I first read, Safety is Personal, the Report on Consumer Engagement in Patient Safety published by the National Patient Safety Foundation’s Lucian Leape Institute. It gets to the point quickly with its call to action: Engage patients and families as partners. While […]