This is the second in a series of guest blog posts, spotlighting how hospitals are engaging their patients to transform care delivery, using the six-step Patient and Family Centered Care Methodology and Practice (PFCC M/P). In 2007, I became a PFCC Champion of one of the first PFCC Working Groups formed at the University of […]
The numbers are staggering, and the emotional fallout has yet to be even remotely addressed. As healthcare systems seek to devise proactive measures aimed at curtailing, and hopefully eliminating, preventable patient harm resulting from medical care, the fact remains — even in the safest of systems, things can, and often do, go wrong. The iconic […]
My father battled cancer several years ago. He lives on the opposite corner of the continent from me and was adamant that he didn’t want his kids to stop their lives to be with him through the fight. He didn’t want to “burden us.” More than that though, I believe he felt — as many […]
You’re in the hospital (I’m sorry). You are likely uncomfortable. If you are awake and alone, you are potentially bored. You are informed and engaged. You want to participate in your own care. You buy into the entire patient engagement debate and you want to be part of the solution. Before coming to the hospital […]
Enter the words “engaging patients” into Google’s search engine and you will see over 35 million results, surely an indication that patient engagement is very high on the radar screen for many of us in health care. And rightly so. Active participation in care delivery is an important element in not only patient satisfaction but […]
Communication, communication, communication. And communication. That’s the core of the four steps hospitals and health systems can take to improve patient engagement, according to a new report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). “Many of the errors we see in health care stem from communication problems,” said AHRQ Director Carolyn M. Clancy, […]
As a patient advocate for 10-plus years for my father, mother, and now for my spouse who has chronic heart disease, the topic of patient engagement really hits home. It’s becoming increasingly clear to me that if the healthcare industry is to succeed in reducing readmissions and improving outcomes, engagement must include the family. It […]
My Dad told me once that the most cared for he ever felt was sitting in the back seat of the family car during a long road trip. In the front seat, his dad — my grandfather — took complete care of getting my dad from one place to another in warmth, peace and safety. […]