Encouraging Partnerships With the Health Care Team
Encouraging Partnerships With the Health Care Team
Several approaches can be taken to invite and encourage increased patient and family member involvement in health care encounters.
"Ask Me 3" is a program developed by the Partnership for Clear Health Communication at the National Patient Safety Foundation. Its purpose is to encourage patients and family members to be active participants in their care by asking three simple questions during each health care encounter:
"Ask Me 3" can be encouraged by nurses and other clinicians in a number of ways. At the 2012 IPPFC Conference, Angela Miney (2012), Family Partner in the University of Florida Pediatric Pulmonary Division in Gainesville, Florida, described her department's experience implementing an "Ask Me 3" campaign in the outpatient clinics. Using grant monies, Miney purchased "Ask Me 3" posters (in English and Spanish) to display in the waiting area and examination rooms, brochures about the program to hand out to families, and buttons saying "Ask Me 3" for clinicians to wear. Although this program was in an outpatient setting, inpatient units could implement "Ask Me 3" programs as well to encourage parents to ask questions during family-centered rounds or change of shift. (A short video about "Ask Me 3," as well as a link to ordering posters and other materials, can be found at www.npsf.org/askme3/) AHRQ has developed a program similar to "Ask Me 3," called "Questions Are the Answer," to encourage health care consumers to assure their voices are heard in health care encounters. (Information about this program can be found at http://www.ahrq.gov/questions/)
Several sessions and poster presentations at the 2012 IPFCC Conference described patient and family involvement in rounds and change of shift report. Family-centered rounding, now being used at several pediatric institutions, offers an opportunity for family members and/or patients to provide input to standard medical rounds as well as participate in creating the plan of care for the day. Similarly, family presence during change of shift report for nurses assures that family member input is obtained regularly and is valued as part of care planning.
Inviting Increased Involvement in the Health Care Encounter
Several approaches can be taken to invite and encourage increased patient and family member involvement in health care encounters.
"Ask Me 3" is a program developed by the Partnership for Clear Health Communication at the National Patient Safety Foundation. Its purpose is to encourage patients and family members to be active participants in their care by asking three simple questions during each health care encounter:
What is my (or my child's) main problem?
What do I (we) need to do?
Why is it important for me (us) to do this?
"Ask Me 3" can be encouraged by nurses and other clinicians in a number of ways. At the 2012 IPPFC Conference, Angela Miney (2012), Family Partner in the University of Florida Pediatric Pulmonary Division in Gainesville, Florida, described her department's experience implementing an "Ask Me 3" campaign in the outpatient clinics. Using grant monies, Miney purchased "Ask Me 3" posters (in English and Spanish) to display in the waiting area and examination rooms, brochures about the program to hand out to families, and buttons saying "Ask Me 3" for clinicians to wear. Although this program was in an outpatient setting, inpatient units could implement "Ask Me 3" programs as well to encourage parents to ask questions during family-centered rounds or change of shift. (A short video about "Ask Me 3," as well as a link to ordering posters and other materials, can be found at www.npsf.org/askme3/) AHRQ has developed a program similar to "Ask Me 3," called "Questions Are the Answer," to encourage health care consumers to assure their voices are heard in health care encounters. (Information about this program can be found at http://www.ahrq.gov/questions/)
Several sessions and poster presentations at the 2012 IPFCC Conference described patient and family involvement in rounds and change of shift report. Family-centered rounding, now being used at several pediatric institutions, offers an opportunity for family members and/or patients to provide input to standard medical rounds as well as participate in creating the plan of care for the day. Similarly, family presence during change of shift report for nurses assures that family member input is obtained regularly and is valued as part of care planning.
