Patient- and Family-Centered Care


At the Grandview/Southview Leadership Meeting last week, I shared a devotional thought reflecting on my recent experience visiting my parents in Oregon, and helping them with their needs as they navigate some very serious health issues. My dad suffered a broken hip after a fall and has very limited mobility. My mom is working to take care of him, all while going through the process of moving out of their home and into an assisted living center.

Several times a week they have had home health providers come by the house – nurses, aides, therapists, etc. It was inspiring to me to see the interaction these professionals had with my parents. One aide in particular went above and beyond to build relationships, to listen and to talk, and to provide care. After she had finished helping dad to get going in the morning, she asked if there was anything else needed. Mom said no, that we could take it from there. The aide then said, “Well, let me just clean up a bit then.” She then went in and made the bed and cleaned the room. She didn’t have to do that, but what an incredible gift it was that she took that time.

In a blog on patient experience, Brian Boyle tells of his time in the hospital after a life-altering vehicle accident. He writes about the importance of caring for the patient, as well as working with the entire family. He says, “My favorite care providers – my ‘dream team’ members – were the men and women that came into my room with a positive presence, spoke to us, got to know me and my parents, and made a sincere connection with us as family. This engagement meant a lot to us because it built a foundation of trust and friendship, which was a comforting sense of familiarity in an unfamiliar environment.”

In Called to Care we find this definition of patient- and family-centered care: “At Kettering Health Network, Patient- and Family-Centered Care means that we create healing relationships with patients and families through partnership and trusted care that is compassionate and responsive. We say to those we serve, ‘If it matters to you, it is important to us.’”

Building these relationships is the heart of being Called to Care, the center of what we do every day. It is where healing takes place.



https://pxjournal.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1112&context=journal

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