Patient And Family Centered Care Essay

Patient and Family Centered Care

As our health care system continues to evolve and family members become increasingly involved in their loved ones care, a collaborative partnership must be encouraged and sustained by nursing leaders in order to foster a healthy environment for patients, families, and health care professionals (HCP) (Manojlovich, Barnsteiner, Bolton, Disch, & Saint, 2008, p. S13). That being said, from a nursing leadership perspective, how does patient and family centered care (PFCC), as a nursing leadership issue within a local context, influence the health experience of individuals in an acute care setting? This paper will include a critical analysis of various elements that influence PFCC, will examine potential barriers

450), which involves empowerment and collaboration between all involved partners (Institute for Patient- and Family- Centered Care, 2010a, para. 1). The overall goal is to improve patient and families satisfaction with the health care system while striving for optimal clinical outcomes for patients (Frampton et al., 2008, p. 40). Additionally, the term family is best described as whomever that particular person views as their family, regardless of blood relation or their place of residence (Piper, 2011, p. 128). To me, PFCC plays a substantive part in my nursing practice. Not a workday goes by that I don’t interact with a family member or friend of a patient on my unit in some way. Certain families provide imperative and valuable information about their family members life and illness experience, which could have a positive impact on their health outcomes. For example, if a patient suffers from dementia and is unable to recall the medications that they take at home, the family is often a great resource to find out this information, so that this patient receives the medications that they require while in the hospital. The Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (2015) supports the idea of PFCC, as patients and families are viewed as experts on their own life and health, whereas healthcare professionals are viewed as experts when it comes to evidence

This is currently being seen by the implementation of CoACT, which is an Alberta Health Service initiative that ensures that all HCP’s are working with patients and their families in an empowering and collaborative way (The Patient First Strategy, 2015, p. 25). This is being seen by the incorporation of patient white boards in each room, bedside shift report, and overnight accommodations for families (Alberta Health Services, 2015a). Additionally, Alberta Health Services has PFCC week each year, which sends out emails to HCP’s outlining various webinars and educational information regarding PFCC (Patient and Family Centred Care Week, 2016). Despite the efforts that are in place to promote PFCC, I believe that there is substantial room for improvement, such as making PFCC more accepted and embraced within our professional practice. In order to create positive change, education regarding the importance of PFCC and acceptance and incorporation of PFCC techniques within practice, are essential.

Analyzing the Issue of Patient and Family Centered Care

McIntyre and McDonald (2014) outline various elements, such as social, cultural, ethical, and economic perspectives, that influence complex nursing leadership issues (p. 5). For the sake of this paper, the aforementioned elements will be further explored and discussed in relation to PFCC and relevant literature