With ever-increasing economic challenges and the ongoing threat of budget cuts facing health care organizations, the timely 4th International Conference on Patient- and Family-Centered Care: Partnerships for Quality and Safety, August 17-19, in Philadelphia, PA, offered more than 90 sessions designed to guide important initiatives for health care organizations to yield positive outcomes in safety, quality, cost-effectiveness, and the experience of care. The conference highlighted partnerships with patients and families at all levels of health care. 

What are participants saying about The 4th International Conference on Patient- and Family-Centered Care?

"Extremely helpful and eye opening. Content rich with a ton of expertise and resources available to fit any culture."

"Very informative, helpful in understanding the [inter]dependence of safety, quality care, and family-centered care."
 

"A MUST. Should be a core for all health care providers."
 
"Invigorating. It helps us refocus and remember the importance of what we do..." 
 
"I think any type of provider in any specialty can enrich their practices with what we learned at the conference."  

"This conference provides a multidisciplinary perspective. The involvement of family advisor presenters enriches the learning experience."

"It was a great opportunity to see how the world is changing and how valuable it is to have parents/families be involved in medical care."

"It was an incredible conference. I wish more staff and families from my hospital could have attended. It's eye opening. Our top administration would benefit from attending this conference." 

"Outstanding, a career investment!"  "I believe it was an essential opportunity for our team to launch us to the next level. Worth the trip and worth the price."
 
"Excellent...provided reinforcement of certain practices, opened possibilities in many ways, also provided true models of partnership care." 

"I felt motivated to go to our hospital and spread the word.... [patient and family members] are as much a valued member of the team as is the rest, MD, RN, RT, SW..."

What exactly is the difference between the Institute Seminars and Conferences? While they are both “meetings,” and Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are available for participants of both, Seminars and Conferences are uniquely different.

Seminars, often referred to as "patient- and family-centered boot camp," are intense training experiences typically offered twice a year at various locations. Institute faculty members teach the entire curriculum of Hospitals and Communities Moving Forward with Patient- and Family-Centered Care to 80–100 multidisciplinary teams—consisting of health care professionals and patient and family leaders—from a variety of health care systems, hospitals and ambulatory care settings.

Each team is assigned to a small group led by a faculty member who serves as an advisor to the team throughout the three day intensive training. Teams leave the seminar with an “action plan,” created to advance the practice of patient- and family-centered care that is individualized to their organization.

The International Conference on Patient- and Family-Centered Care, in contrast, typically occurs every other year. Differing from Seminars, the Institute issues a “Call for Papers.” A rigorous external review process culls out the very best. Since there are only a limited number of presentations that can be offered during the three day Conference, competition is fierce! Conferences include keynote sessions, 30-60 minute presentations, videos, and posters, with concurrent sessions offered throughout each day.....Read More

In January of 2001, Josie King was admitted to the hospital after suffering first and second degree burns from climbing into a hot bath. She healed well and within weeks was scheduled for discharge. Two days before she was to return home, despite the pleas and concerns expressed by Josie's mother that something was terribly wrong, Josie died of severe dehydration and misused narcotics. Using her family's grief, despair, and anger, Sorrel embarked on a mission to prevent this type of medical error from ever happening again. The Josie King Foundation funds innovative safety initiatives and supports partnerships among patients, families, and health care providers.

The Institute hosted two book signings with Sorrel King, author of Josie's Story: A Mother's Inspiring Crusade to Make Medical Care Safe, to kick off Sorrel's multi-city book tour. Sorrel, who received a standing ovation following her presentation at the Conference closing plenary, said she loved meeting with "the dedicated conference attendees, who are going back to hospitals all around the country and work to strengthen productive partnerships between families and health care providers." Thank you to everybody who stopped by the book-signing table.

The Institute is offering a limited number of signed copies of Josie's Story. Order before they're gone. 

Check out the Josie King Foundation website for more information about Josie's Story and the work of the Foundation. View Sorrel's appearance on the Today Show, and—for future book signings—check Sorrel's book tour schedule.

Were you unable to attend the Conference? Did you have to choose one session over another and missed a session you wanted to attend? Don't despair!  Handouts provided to the Institute by the presenters can be downloaded for free.

View and download educational content from The 4th International Conference on Patient- and Family-Centered Care from the Live Learning Center.  Read More about the Institute's policy for reproducing and reprinting Institute documents.

Access International Conference presentations on digital media—whenever you want—captured live at the Conference and available online via the Institute's Live Learning Center. Purchase the entire set or select individual sessions, downloadable MP3 files, or MP3 CD-Roms.

The Institute is proud to announce a new webinar on Patient and Family Involvement in Change of Shift Report.  

Bringing nurse change of shift report to the bedside is integral to enhancing patient safety. Yet, discussion about the patient in the presence of the patient or family raises several challenges for the nursing staff.

This new webinar offers strategies for nurses to support patient and family inclusion in change of shift report. The webinar identifies benefits of—and explores strategies for—patient and family involvement in nurse change of shift report.

Register soon for the Tuesday, October 6, 2009, webinar debut. Check out our entire webinar schedule.

Pediatrician—Mother of Three—Partners with Patients and Families to Reduce Painful  Procedures

Hospitalized children claim needle sticks are their greatest source of pain. The fear of needles impacts parents’ willingness to have their children immunized and affects children’s subsequent health care experiences. In thinking about ways to overcome the barriers to needle pain control, Dr. Amy Baxter, a pediatrician, invented a non-invasive device to decrease the pain of immunizations and venipunctures.

Buzzy® is a reusable pain relief device that works through scientific principles to block nerves, and adds distraction for needle procedures, splinter-removal, bee stings, or minor burns. “It’s like running water over a burned finger—as soon as you feel cold water, you don’t feel the burn.”

With a Mayday Fund grant, Dr. Baxter, Buzzy’s creator, and pain researcher, Lindsey Cohen, tested Buzzy for IV sticks in 81 children aged 4-18. Nurses either strapped Buzzy—a palm-sized vibrating bee—and a cold pack above the IV site or used cold spray for vein puncture in the Emergency Department.

Children and their parents rated pain on a 0-5 Faces Pain Scale. Gender, previous anxiety, illness, and average age (around 10) was the same in both groups, but children who used Buzzy reported significantly lower pain than those who used the cold spray. Parents reported even lower pain for the Buzzy group. IV success was 85% with Buzzy and 75% with cold spray, but results were not significantly different. This research will be presented at the October 2009 American Academy of Pediatrics conference.

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Partnering with Patients and Families to Enhance Safety and Quality: A Mini Toolkit—A resource developed by the Institute will be available for free download... Coming soon to the Institute's free Download Page.