Partnering with Patients & Families

Partnering with patients and families in healthcare can range from how care is provided, to patients and families serving as advisors on projects designed to improve care safety and quality.

Patient and family centered care involves patients, families and healthcare professionals working together to decide what and how care is provided

Patient and family advisors work with clinical professionals to improve the quality and safety of healthcare. Partnering with patients and families allows for care processes and services to be designed and refined based on patient and family identified needs rather than professionals’ assumptions. Patient and family advisors provide a fuller picture of the care experience. Patient and family partnership can occur in several ways, ranging from feedback on proposed materials or processes, to full participation on an improvement project team. Regardless of the degree of patient and family involvement in a project, such input is likely to offer beneficial insights.

Resources

Read	Patient and family centered care: Patient Engagement is Easier Said Than Done — But It Can Be Done, Susan Edgman-Levitan Institute for Patient and Family-Centered Care  Patient and family advisors: Children’s Emergency Department Internal Medicine Newborn Critical Care NC Cancer Hospital Outpatient Services Psychiatry Stroke Rehabilitation Services Women’s
Use	Patient and family centered care: What Patients and Families Want Physicians to Know, UNC IHQI Plain Language Materials and Resources (CDC 2021) Patient and family advisors: Tips for Partnering with Patient and Family Advisors (IHQI 2021) Guide to Patient and Family Engagement in Hospital Quality and Safety (AHRQ, 2017) Patient Engagement in Redesigning Care Toolkit (Center for Patient Partnerships, 2017)
Watch	Patient and family centered care: Clinician as Patient Perspective (Rana Awdish, 2014) (Video – 21:03) Patient Perspective on Improving Communication (Patience Leno, 2018) (Video – 38:13)