Patient and Family Centered Care Overview

Patient and Family Centered Care

• Patient-centered care prioritizes patient needs and values, aiming for a high-quality system meeting patient and family needs.
• The framework centers on patients, emphasizing patient-clinician communication and decisions aligned with patient values.
• Patient-centered care involves fostering communication, providing evidence-based information on treatment options, and enabling shared decision-making.
• Patient-centered communication includes patient, family and friends in care discussions, explaining treatment options and reflecting patient needs.

Effective Patient-Clinician Communication

• Effective communication is crucial and involves informed, active and participatory patients and families interacting with a supportive care team.
• Key components include effective communication skills, accessible and responsive systems, and shared decision-making.
• Shared decision making is the negotiation between patients and physicians to agree on treatment plans, based on shared goals, risks, benefits, and patient values.

Primary Functions of Patient-Centered Communication

• Six primary functions influence patient-clinician interactions, impacting health outcomes.
  • Foster healing relationships
  • Exchange crucial information
  • Address emotions effectively
  • Manage uncertainty
  • Support decision-making
  • Enable patient self-management

Model of Patient Centered Care

• Patients, clinicians, and the health system dynamically interact influencing the care experience.

Challenges in Shared Decision-Making

• The impact of the diagnosis on patients and their families complicates decisions.
• Clinicians may not have enough time to truly listen to patient needs.
• Fragmented cancer care systems affect shared decision-making.

Improving Shared Decision-Making

• Providing comprehensive information is essential.
• Use of decision aids to improve comprehension and engagement in decision-making.
• Training clinicians in communication skills is crucial
• Improve clear communication plans and care planning.

Prioritizing Clinician Training in Communication

• Clinicians need to cultivate patient-clinician relationships based on trust, exchange information effectively, manage emotional responses, manage uncertainty, support decision-making, and enable self-management.
• Effective communication is linked to faster recovery, better pain management and improved psychological well-being.
• Clinicians must be able to engage patients in real-time discussions.

Communcating Information and Preparing Care Plans

• Clear and personalized information regarding prognosis, treatment, support, and costs throughout the patient journey is important.
• Collaboration with patients to develop care plans that reflect needs, values, and preferences.

Systems Thinking

• Systems approach is crucial with a focus on interacting components within the care system.
• Safety incidents are a result of interactions among processes, workflows, technologies, teamwork, finances, and training.
• Addressing problems at their source and empowering patients and staff.

Care Delivery Prioritizes Needs

• Care delivery prioritizes the needs of patients, staff, and the community.
• Promoting health literacy improves patient understanding of care and facilitates accountability, supporting more comfortable work environments for staff.
• Trade-offs in care should reflect societal values and priorities.

Care Integration and Coordination

• Integrating and coordinating care improves the experience of patients through multiple encounters across multiple organizations.

Transformation of Care Delivery

• A continuous feedback loop for care, learning, and improvement, engaging patients and providers in feedback and co-design is important.
• Patient and provider collaboration in systems design is crucial.

Recommendations

• Redesigning health care using a systems approach for sustainable improvement.
• Prioritizing patient, staff and community needs in care delivery decisions.
• Using evidence-based, context-relevant decision-making throughout care.
• Integrating and coordinating care across the patient journey.
• Utilizing and integrating technology to anticipate and predict at various system levels.
• Establishing clear leadership, policies, cultures, and incentives aligned with quality care, integrity, stewardship, and accountability.
• Care delivery that is transparent and easy to navigate.