Patient and Family-Centered Organization - Essay Example

Patient and Family Centered Organization A. Patient and family centered organization and practice setting analysis A1. Cardiology practice is my current setting. Cardiologists treat and diagnose ailment related to the heart and cardiovascular system (Ronan, 1988). This includes the arteries. A Cardiologist is not a surgeon. Health professionals performing a heart and cardiovascular surgery are referred to as cardio-thoracic surgeons they complete a surgical residency program whereas a cardiologist completes an internal medicine residency. In my practice setting, there are different classifications of cardiologists. Classification of cardiologists is based on the specialty they have successfully completed and the amount of training. An interventional cardiologist is an example of a cardiologist specialist who deals in catheter based treatment of ailments related to the heart. A pediatric specialist is another example of a specialized cardiologist. In my practice setting, I review the medical histories of patients. Additionally, I do a physical checkup that comprises checking of the patient’s weight, lungs, heart, blood vessels and blood pressure. Normally, a cardiologist serves as a consultant to other professionals in the medical field. The heart and the circulatory system often work together. The circulatory system is comprised of three components: systematic circulation, coronary circulation, and pulmonary circulation. These components (coronary (heart), systematic (the rest of the system) and pulmonary (lungs)), perform their duties independently although they depend on each other. Some of the heart and cardiology procedures performed in the organization are; Carotid angiography and intervention- It is an invasive procedure that targets all patients. However, it is especially administered to those patients who are not meant for surgery to open the plaque found in carotid arteries or artery blockages (Roubin, 1996). Coronary angiography and Cardiac catheterization- It is done to determine heart pressure. Moreover, the procedure takes pictures of the arteries (coronary) to look for blockages. Angioplasty and stenting-This procedure finds blockages. To open a blockage via this procedure, a wire is driven through the blockage. Afterwards, a small balloon is passed over the wire and inflated when inside the artery. As such, it opens the blockage. The number of procedures listed above comprises of a small percentage of what is often done in a day to day basis in the cardiology field. A2. Hospital leaders and management in the organization have increasingly realized the significance of including a health care equation which has been missing: the perspective of families and patients. The feeling of care, as seen by family and patient, is a vital element in health care safety and quality. Patient and family centered care is based on the philosophy of bringing the patient and family perspectives directly into the delivery, evaluation and planning of healthcare in order to improve its safety and quality. Studies have shown that when organizations, health care providers, families and patients work collaboratively, the safety and quality of health care increases. Moreover, patient, family and provider satisfaction increase while costs decrease. The core concepts that determine how patient and family centered an organization is include: Dignity and respect, information sharing, participation and collaboration. These are the concepts I will apply in analyzing the organization. Dignity and respect Dignity and respect refers to an understanding where health care professionals listen to the perspectives of patients and family and honor them. The organization has to comprehend the patient and family values, knowledge, cultural backgrounds and beliefs and incorporate them into the planning and delivery of health care. The organization acknowledges the diversity and disparities among its patients. As such, it has programs designed to aid the minority groups and underserved patients. Additionally, the organization provides educational materials to its patients and families at the appropriate literacy levels. By acknowledging the diversity of its patients, the organization comprehends the beliefs, cultural backgrounds and family values of its patients. Information sharing Health care professionals share and communicate unbiased complete information with families and patients in useful and affirming ways. The organization offers the patients and family full and easy access to electronic or paper records. Additionally, there are web portals that give patients or family members specific useful resources. Moreover, families and patients are encouraged to email the clinicians in order to share information. Also, patient/ family are allowed to use the organization’s resource rooms. The organization avails timely and accurate information to patients and families in order for them to participate effectively in health care and in decision making. This organization is highly patient family centered under this concept. Participation Families and patients are supported and encouraged to participate in decision making and care at the level they choose in the organization (Guadagnoli, 1998). Patient/ family usually participate in making quality improvement decisions in the organization. They voice their opinions on the strategic and operational aims and goals the organization takes. This is a very significant aspect. However, they have a low participation in safety, quality and risk meetings. Additionally, the organization does not involve families and patients in clinical design projects. As such, the organization is lowly patient- and family-centered. Collaboration The organization is highly patient and family centered when it comes to collaboration. The organization management, families and patients collaborate in in job and policies descriptions and in performance appraisal of the organization. In addition to this, they both participate in search committees and on interview teams. Therefore, the organization is highly patient-and family-centered. Looking from the perspective of families and patients, the collaboration, involvement of family and patients, amount of and use of family and patient feedback to improve health care is high and information sharing is high. Therefore, I can conclude that the organization is highly patient and family centered. A3. The organization does not include families and patients in clinical design projects. This is an area where the organization should improve. Patients and families should be included in clinical design projects undertaken by the organization. This is the main and major gap the organization should improve on. B. How business practices and regulatory requirements impact patient- and family-centered healthcare. Regulatory requirements and business practices bring professionalism into the health care sector. The regulatory requirements spell out the rights of patients and their families. Additionally, these regulatory requirements provide a code of conduct which guides the health professionals in their day to day activities. Patients have the right to receive the best possible health care (Miracle, 2004). Patients and families are encouraged to participate in their healthcare. The state and federal law stipulates that medical records of patients and their families should be confidential. These regulations and statutes control release of a patient’s information. A patient’s medical record will only be released outside of the hospital with the patient’s written consent. The business practices govern the coding and billing of patients. Patients are to be charged in a uniform and standardized manner. However, the amount of charge is determined by the level of care provided. Also, health care facilities are required to bill patients with only services that they have received. C. A strategy to increase patient-centeredness in the organization People involved in their health care and health tend to have positive or better outcomes. Additionally, evidence suggests lower costs too. The primary goal of this strategy is to increase the level of patient/family participation in clinical design projects. The following strategies will and operational plan will aid the organization to increase its level of patient centeredness. Shared decision making Shared decision making is a vital strategy to include patients and their families in decision making. Patients and health care providers consider the condition of the patient, treatment options, risks and benefits of treatment and the preferences of the patient. After this inclusion in decision making, they then decide on the treatment plan together. Patient activation Studies indicate that patients who are “activated” experience better health outcomes. Activation is defined as the act of patients possessing the ability, willingness and skill to manage and control their own healthcare. C1. These strategies will bridge the gap that excludes patients and families from clinical design projects. Research predicts that patients who were included in clinical design projects had overall medical costs that were 5.3% lower than those patients who were not included. This strategy will see a 12.5 % decrease in hospital admissions. This has a great financial impact because the hospital would reduce its operating costs greatly. C2, C2a. Members of a multidisciplinary team Occupational therapist The role of an occupational therapist is to maintain mobility, independence and function. They advise patients about home modifications and on selecting, adapting or acquiring specialized equipment (Law, 1998). Cardiologist The cardiologist specializes in disorders of the heart and cardiovascular system. He or she coordinates the diagnosis tests. Also, he or she monitors the ailment’s progress and symptoms management. Community care worker or case manager They provide general emotional support, household assistance, companionship and care to patients in their homes. The case manager on the other hand helps the patients to access community or health services. C2b. The multidisciplinary team will be diverse in order to improve team performance. C2c. Collaboration between the team members will be the primary tool to drive the team forward. Professionals tend to lose perspective when they achieve deep knowledge in one subject. They cannot decipher external factors. This limits innovation and the possibility of making good decisions. This is where collaborative thinking as a team comes in. this will be the major tool to propel the team forward. C3. The metrics that will determine the success of the strategy include finances and number of hospital patients. The financial burden of the patient will be determined after the strategy has been implemented and compared to the patient’s prior financial cost. A reduction in the current financial burden will highlight that the strategy is successful. The strategy will also be successful if the number of patients in the hospital decreases after the implementation of the strategy. References Guadagnoli, E., & Ward, P. (1998). Patient participation in decision-making. Social science & medicine, 47(3), 329-339. Law, M. C. (Ed.). (1998). Client centered occupational therapy. Thorofare, NJ: Slack Incorporated. Miracle, V. A. (2004). Rights of Patients. Dimensions of Critical Care Nursing, 23(3), 129-130. Ronan, J. A., Knoebel, S. B., Conti, C. R., Flowers, N. C., Fox, A. C., Popp, R. L., ... & Winters, W. L. (1988). Task Force I: The definition and role of adult cardiologists in the changing scene of cardiology. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 12(3), 833-836. Roubin, G. S., Yadav, S., Iyer, S. S., & Vitek, J. (1996). Carotid stent-supported angioplasty: a neurovascular intervention to prevent stroke. The American journal of cardiology, 78(3), 8-12. Appendices Read More