Patient Family Centered Care, Essay Example

The patient family centered care model has emerged in response to the growing awareness of the fact that more and more end-of-life patients die in the specialized healthcare institutions, and the role of family in the end-of-life stage of a patients is diminishing. The PFCC model has been traditionally used in the infant care; however, the modern application of PFCC has been found in relation to HIV, cancer, and aging. Nowadays, the PFCC is seen as an innovative approach to planning, delivery, and evaluation of healthcare.

The patient family centered care represents an efficient model for the family adaptation to critical illness of a family member; at this stage, the need for communication and adequate information is essential for family members, and they need to be present and active in all patient-related decisions in the care unit. Therefore, the core concepts delineated for the PFCC are respect and dignity, information sharing, participation, and collaboration. Only under these conditions, the PFCC model can become the widespread and recognized model in the majority of healthcare institutions, both for neonatal and end-of-life care.

It is obvious that nowadays the PFCC model has acquired the status of a core value in family medicine; there are multiple data witnessing the improvement of patient outcomes due to the administration of PFCC, and the PFCC being the strongest factor related to the improvement of patient satisfaction within the first 48 hours of hospital admissions. The basis of PFCC is respect, collaboration, and trust, which helps establish diverse and reciprocal relationships among the patient, family members, and healthcare executives, which surely produces a beneficial effect on the overall healthcare quality and medical care outcomes.

There are certain steps developed in response to the need to implement the PFCC model in any healthcare institution responsible for conducting healthcare; the aspects of PFCC implementation include the provision of a realistic and transparent mission, vision, and PFCC philosophy. The patients’ and their family members’ needs have to be evaluated, and the policies and procedures that have to be changed, created, or enhanced need evaluation as well. In addition, the healthcare institution has to develop the competencies of staff in terms of PFCC provision, and provide the child- and family-friendly atmosphere in the hospital facilities for adequate PFCC administration. However, there are also certain barriers recognized in connection with PFCC implementation. They include the absence of family members who would be able to perform the functions of caregivers; the behavior of family members that obstructs the delivery of care, the absence of space for family members in the healthcare room, and the need for an interpreter in case the patient and his or her family members are not English speakers. Proper attention to these barriers may also facilitate the successful and smooth implementation of PFCC in any healthcare establishment.

In connection with these considerations, the Lewin-Schein model of implementing change in an organization is proposed as a possibility of implementing the PFCC model in a healthcare institution. The Lewin-Schein theory of change includes three stages: defreezing (the awareness of change, elimination of barriers, combating the learning anxiety and raising the survival anxiety), implementing the change, and refreezing (embodying the changed behaviors as usual behavior, instilling the change into the organizational culture). The following process map is offered as a possible process of PFCC implementation:

Process Map