Family and Patient Centered Care That Makes A Huge Difference – featuring Fran Culler – Episode #4

Family and patient centered care may not be terminology you’re familiar with… but after hearing this conversation you’ll be eager to see it implemented in your local hospital systems. It’s an innovative new way to get insights into the real experiences that both patients and families are having while receiving care at your facility so that you can both improve the level of care you provide overall and anticipate needs before they actually become issues. I was very impressed with some of the things Fran Culler and her team have been able to accomplish for patients and families in their facility. I am certain you will be too. Most of us are familiar with the concept of patient centered care... But what I’m chatting with Fran Culler about on this episode goes a step further. Naturally, we want our patients to receive the very best care possible while they are in our care, but the reality is that their families are often just as impacted by what we do as the patient. On this episode, I asked Fran to give us an overview of exactly what a family and patient council is and how it goes a step beyond patient centered care to give a comprehensive level of quality to the experience that everyone we serve receives. Thinking outside the box of patient centered care. The typical Family Patient council is a group of people including hospital staff, former patients, administrators, chaplains, and others who care about the quality of care the organization is providing. They come together regularly to assess the quality of care being given, receive concerns that are expressed, and formulate plans to take action on things that otherwise might go unnoticed or could make the quality of care better for patients and families alike. You’ll enjoy hearing some of the stories Fran Culler shares about the improvements her team has been able to make in their hospital. I was quite impressed with their accomplishments and I hope you are inspired to take some action in this direction at your medical facility. Coming together to make medical care better for everyone. When a patient is in the care of any medical team it’s important to realize that it’s not just the patient who is affected. Many times family members won’t leave their bedside and the fear and stress of the event extend far beyond the hospital room. A family and patient centered approach focuses on all of those issues and more to ensure that those who are most impacted by a patient’s stay in the hospital are cared for where they are and in ways that make a difference to them. You’ll hear Fran Culler’s experience as part of a Family Patient council in northern Colorado on this episode. Family and patient centered care goes beyond exit surveys. Asking departing patients and their families to complete an exit survey is a great idea but it’s often the last thing on the minds of people who are heading home from the hospital. But getting a true sense of what those people experienced while in the care of the hospital staff is still vitally important for the sake of quality control and quality of care. On this episode of The Report Room Fran Culler shares many stories of what her family patient council has been able to do to improve the quality of care for their patients and their families - from the addition of more handicapped parking spaces in the parking lot to pet visiting hours and washing machines. You’ll be surprised and encouraged to hear what’s possible when people come together to make the patient and family experience better for everyone. Outline of this great episode [0:27] My introduction to Fran Culler? and the issue of patient and family centered care. [2:44] What IS a patient-family care? [4:46] How the patient family advisory council at Fran’s facility came to be and how the team works. [7:56] Could this work for large and small medical organizations? [9:32] How the hospital staff members are selected. [11:10] How and when meetings happen. [13:12] A typical council meeting and the kinds of impact they’ve been able to have. [20:48] The first one or two steps a hospital should take to start its own council. Resources & Links mentioned in this episode Institute for Patient and Family Centered Care Connect with Brian Twitter @BrianWeirichRN BrianWeirichRN@gmail(dot)com