Many hospitals still do not encourage family presence and participation and do not embrace the concept of families as true partners in care. But as demonstrated by the actions of the exemplar hospitals described here, it is possible to make this critical culture shift. The exemplar hospitals understand the importance of partnering with patients’ families instead of treating them as outsiders who are interfering in their loved one’s care. These hospitals are proving that giving patients the access they want to their loved ones actually helps themget better.
Through its campaign Better Together: Partnering with Families, IPFCC challenges hospitals across the United States and Canada to pledge to join this important initiative. Now is the time for all hospitals to embrace family presence and participation and to welcome families and other care partners 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Hospitals are invited to join this initiative. Steps to begin the change process may be found at www.ipfcc.org/advance/topics/better-together-pledge.html. Also available at IPFCC website is the Better Together toolkit, other materials and information that support the initiative, and a complete list of the exemplar hospitals and their processes and policies. The toolkit includes an organizational self-assessment, sample processes and policies, videos, and guides for families and staff to use in developing partnership. It is available at no charge at www.ipfcc.org/bettertogether/.
Corresponding author: Beverley H. Johnson, 6917 Arlington Rd., Ste. 309, Bethesda, MD 20814, bjohson@ipfcc.org.
Behind a Locked Door
This is our story as I remember it.
One day I came home from work, and my husband was confused. In all the years we’d been married, I’d never known him to be confused. He was sitting in the family room, and he looked frightened.
I said, “Bill, what’s going on?” He said, “Well, I was just going to get up and go look outside for Joey.” I said, “Bill, Joey’s not here.” He insisted, “Oh yes, we just came back from vacation. Joey just went outside, and I was going to check on him.”
I was alarmed and said, “Bill, I think you’re a little confused. I’m concerned because this morning you told me you had a headache. Maybe we should go to the hospital.” He resisted, but I simply told him, “Bill, if something was to happen to you, I might be held responsible because I didn’t do what was in your best interest. We can come home if everything is okay.”
And so we went to the emergency room, where we learned that my husband had a small bleed in his brain. We were told that we needed to go to another hospital that had a neurosurgeon on staff. My husband was transported by ambulance to a hospital about a mile away, and I followed him there in our car.
I want to stop here and tell you a bit about my husband and about myself. My name is Jackie Gruzenski, and I am a nurse involved in the field of psychiatric nursing. My husband’s name was Dr. William Gruzenski. He was a psychiatrist for forty years, and he was a chief medical officer for the last twelve years of his career.