HTC’s Announce Patient/Family Advisory Council
By Beth Ann Garner, Program Coordinator, Comprehensive Bleeding Disorders Center, Emory University
The Comprehensive Bleeding Disorders Center (CBDC) at Emory and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta announces its partnership with Emory Healthcare Office of Care Transformation to develop a Patient/Family Advisory Council. This Patient/Family Advisory Council will be comprised, initially, of adult patients/family members, representatives of the CBDC team and an advisor/facilitator from the Emory Healthcare Office of Care Transformation.
What is the purpose of “Patient-and-Family-Centered Care?” Our aim is to partner with our patients and their families as members of the care team. In doing so, Emory Healthcare and the CBDC embrace the following core principles:
- Dignity and Respect: Healthcare practitioners listen to and honor patient and family perspectives and choices. Patient and family knowledge, values, beliefs, and cultural backgrounds are incorporated into the planning and delivery of care.
- Information Sharing: Healthcare practitioners communicate and share complete and unbiased information with patients and families in ways that are affirming and useful. Patients and families receive timely, complete, and accurate information in order to effectively participate in care and decision making.
- Participation: Patients and families are encouraged to participate in care and decision making at the level they choose.
Collaboration: Patients, families, and healthcare practitioners will collaborate in the development and implementation of policies around delivery of care.
What are Patient/Family Advisors (PFAs)? PFAs are our own patients that have experienced health care services within the Emory Healthcare system, or they are family members (immediate family members and/or designated significant others as identified by the patient) of Emory Healthcare patients. EHC employees and/or physicians may not serve as Patient and Family Advisors.
Why is the HTC participating in Patient Family-Centered Care? We believe our partnership with PFAs is essential to the design and delivery of optimum care. Without patient and family participation in policy and program development and evaluation, we risk failing to respond to the real needs and concerns of those that we serve. Our partnership with PFAs will help us to improve health care delivery and quality, which will lead to better outcomes and enhanced efficiency and cost-effectiveness. As providers, we hope to discover a more gratifying, creative, and inspiring way to care for our patients. The overall goal of this model is to improve the patient and family experience.
If you are interested in participating (or you would like to designate an immediate family member/significant other) as a PFA, please contact Beth Garner at (404)727-1608.
We plan to develop a similar council for families of pediatric patients in the near future in collaboration with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.