A PFE Steering Committee was created to envision the future of patient and family experience at Cincinnati Children’s. Members of the co-design committee included: 13 patients and families, 8 frontline nurses, 8 providers, 26 additional patient-facing staff, 15 support service leaders, CNO, Chief Patient Experience Officer, 2 Board representatives. The Committee met monthly for 9 months to co-design the 5-year PFE strategic plan. The Committee continues to meet quarterly to advise, problem solve and hold the system and leaders accountable for achieving the goals set forward in the plan.
Ensuring that Patient and Family Advisory Councils (PFAC) include the insights and perspectives across the range of communities served by the hospital or health system is essential to quality, safety, the care experience, and to achieving the best outcomes. To do this collaborative work effectively requires intention and thoughtful planning and ongoing evaluation.
IPFCC in collaboration with the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC), conducted a project to identify best practices within children's hospitals for strengthening PFACs and for partnering with patient and family advisors in better addressing the concerns and priorities of all communities served. The team developed an action guide resource that highlights six key areas to help hospitals and health systems move forward with this work.
The project built on a 2021 study that examined the prevalence and functioning of PFACs in U.S. children’s hospitals. A Key Learnings document and a subsequent article summarize the study’s findings in the Patient Experience Journal (PXJ) provide guidance to the field for strengthening partnerships with patients and families. Subsequently, articles were published in the Journal of Pediatric Health Care and Pediatrics.
Support for IPFCC's work on both projects was provided by the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health (LPFCH).