Role of The Family
While specific methods of implementing family-centered care differ from facility to facility, general procedures are fairly similar. The University of Virginia Health System in Charlottesville, Virginia, provides an excellent example of this. On admission, the patient usually designates one or two people who will serve as their primary "care partners." These individuals are notated in the patient's electronic and physical medical charts, and they are given an orange wristband to wear in order to designate them as a patient's "care partners." This negates the need for visitor's passes or after-hours registration cards, as the staff can readily identify a patient's "care partners." The admitting staff discuss the reasons for admission with the patient and their "care partners" and what health criteria are required for the patient's discharge.
"Care partners" are then intricately involved with the patient's care by their entire attending healthcare team, including physicians, nurses, nutritionists, social workers, and more. At every stage, "care partners" and patients discuss with healthcare professionals test results, the state of the patient's current health, what type of things to expect throughout the day, and discharge goals. "Care partners" are invited to take part in nursing interventions, including bathing, feeding, helping the nursing staff with moving the patient, and assisting the patient in exercising or moving about the unit. "Care partners" are also invited to take an active role in "rounds," providing feedback and asking questions reflective of theirs and the patient's wishes or concerns.
"Care partners" are also indoctrinated on various elements of hospital operating policy, such as quiet time and visitation rules. The "care partners" are then generally allowed to manage the adherence to these policies in a manner conducive to the patient's healing and common sense—for example, by managing how many visitors are present in the patient's room.
Read more about this topic: Family Centered Care
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