scholarly journals The Provincial Patient and Family Group (PFG) for Alberta Health Services Transforms How Care is Planned and Delivered: A Decade of Experience

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 237437352198924
Author(s):  
Deanna Picklyk ◽  
Shawn Volk ◽  
Katharina Kovacs Burns

Although many health care organizations made significant headway in building relationships with patients and families at the point of care, there continues to be opportunities to partner with them at the system level. One such opportunity is the Patient and Family Advisory Group (PFG) at Alberta Health Services (AHS). Developed 10 years ago as a formal group of patient and family volunteers, PFG has provided advice on over 350 key organization initiatives, including the Patient First Strategy and the Family Visitation policies and guidelines. Through the formal partnership with PFG and its members who bring their lived experiences with the health system and its services, AHS has demonstrated its commitment to designing and improving services with the user in mind. Now entering its second decade, PFG, supported by AHS leadership, continues to explore new strategic approaches with internal and external stakeholders to reinforce the importance of Patient and Family-Centered Care.

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashlee J. Vance ◽  
Kathryn J. Malin ◽  
Jacquelyn Miller ◽  
Clayton J. Shuman ◽  
Tiffany A. Moore ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, parents of infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) frequently reported high levels of stress, uncertainty, and decreased parenting confidence. Early research has demonstrated that parents have had less access to their infants in the hospital due to restrictions on parental presence secondary to the pandemic. It is unknown how parents have perceived their experiences in the NICU since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to describe the lived experience of parents who had an infant in the NICU in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic to inform healthcare providers and policy makers for future development of policies and care planning. Methods The study design was a qualitative description of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on parents’ experiences of having an infant in the NICU. Free-text responses to open-ended questions were collected as part of a multi-method study of parents’ experiences of the NICU during the first six months of the pandemic. Participants from the United States were recruited using social media platforms between the months of May and July of 2020. Data were analyzed using a reflexive thematic approach. Findings Free-text responses came from 169 parents from 38 different states in the United States. Three broad themes emerged from the analysis: (1) parents’ NICU experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic were emotionally isolating and overwhelming, (2) policy changes restricting parental presence created disruptions to the family unit and limited family-centered care, and (3) interactions with NICU providers intensified or alleviated emotional distress felt by parents. A unifying theme of experiences of emotional distress attributed to COVID-19 circumstances ran through all three themes. Conclusions Parents of infants in the NICU during the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic experienced emotional struggles, feelings of isolation, lack of family-centered care, and deep disappointment with system-level decisions. Moving forward, parents need to be considered essential partners in the development of policies concerning care of and access to their infants.


2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-56
Author(s):  
Guriti Guriti ◽  
Elsye Maria Rosa ◽  
Herlin Fitriana Kurniawati

Health service is a complex social implementation because it engages in services that involve various professional groups. In realizing a healthy paradigm, health services with a family approach are developed. The family approach is an approach that empowers the potential of the family in dealing with family health problems independently by paying attention to physical, biological, social, economic and cultural aspects, especially on the health and well-being of mothers, infants, toddlers, adolescents, PUS, and the elderly. The purpose of this study was to explore the implementation of family centered care by health workers in postpartum mothers. Method: This research was a qualitative research with a case study approach. Semi-structure interview was used to interview 12 informants. Results: Based on the thematic analysis of the results of in-depth interviews and processed with NVIVO 12 Plus, 3 (three) main themes were obtained which were supported by the categories explaining the implementation of family centered care by health workers in postpartum mothers. The first theme is the responses from health workers regarding the implementation and benefits of family centered care in health services for postpartum mothers which are supported by two sub-themes, namely; (a) the form and principles of implementing family centered care by hospitals according to health workers and (b) the benefits of family centered care according to the opinion of health workers. The second theme is the opinions of patients and families about the implementation of family centered care by health workers in postpartum mothers supported by two sub-themes, namely: (a) responses and (b) the benefits of family centered care. The third theme is the obstacles to the implementation of family centered care supported by two sub-themes, namely: (a) internal barriers and (b) external impacts. Conclusions: Overall, the implementation of family centered care by health workers in postpartum mothers had a good response from health workers, the patient and the patient's family.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 95-108
Author(s):  
Shanti Prasad Khanal

 The present study aims to examine the multi-level barriers to utilize by the youth-friendly reproductive health services (YFRHS) among the school-going youths of the Surkhet valley of Nepal. This study is based on the sequential explanatory research design under mixed-method research. The quantitative data were collected using the self- administered questionnaire from the 249 youths, aged between the 15-24 years, those selected by using random sampling. The qualitative data were collected using the Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) from the 12 participants who were selected purposively. The study confirmed that school-going youths do not have appropriate utilization of YFHS due to multi-layered barriers. However, the utilization of the service was higher among females, those the older age group, studying in the upper classes, the upper castes, and married youths. The key findings and themes are recognized as multi-layered barriers including personal-level, health system-level, community-level, and policy-level on the entire socio-ecological field. Among them, the existing health system is the foremost barrier. Multi-level interventions are, therefore, required to increase the YFRHS utilization and improve concerns for school-going-youths.  


2019 ◽  
Vol 09 (01) ◽  
pp. 016-020
Author(s):  
Haydeh Heidari ◽  
Marjan Mardani-Hamooleh

AbstractFamily-centered care (FCC) is one of the important elements of care in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). The aim of this study was to understand the nurses' perception of FCC in NICUs. This qualitative study was performed using conventional content analysis. Participants in this study included 18 nurses who were selected by a purposeful method. Semistructured, in-depth and face-to-face interviews were conducted with the participants. All interviews were written down, reviewed, and analyzed. Two categories were identified after the data analysis: (1) prerequisite for providing FCC and (2) parents' participation. Prerequisite for providing FCC consisted of two subcategories namely suitable facilities and adequate personnel. Parents' participation included subcategories of parents: neonate's attachment and parents' training. Nurses' perception of FCC in NICUs can facilitate an appropriate condition for the participation of family members in the care of neonates.


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Keely Jordan ◽  
Todd P. Lewis ◽  
Bayard Roberts

Abstract Background There is a growing concern that the quality of health systems in humanitarian crises and the care they provide has received little attention. To help better understand current practice and research on health system quality, this paper aimed to examine the evidence on the quality of health systems in humanitarian settings. Methods This systematic review was based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol. The context of interest was populations affected by humanitarian crisis in low- and middle- income countries (LMICs). We included studies where the intervention of interest, health services for populations affected by crisis, was provided by the formal health system. Our outcome of interest was the quality of the health system. We included primary research studies, from a combination of information sources, published in English between January 2000 and January 2019 using quantitative and qualitative methods. We used the High Quality Health Systems Framework to analyze the included studies by quality domain and sub-domain. Results We identified 2285 articles through our search, of which 163 were eligible for full-text review, and 55 articles were eligible for inclusion in our systematic review. Poor diagnosis, inadequate patient referrals, and inappropriate treatment of illness were commonly cited barriers to quality care. There was a strong focus placed on the foundations of a health system with emphasis on the workforce and tools, but a limited focus on the health impacts of health systems. The review also suggests some barriers to high quality health systems that are specific to humanitarian settings such as language barriers for refugees in their host country, discontinued care for migrant populations with chronic conditions, and fears around provider safety. Conclusion The review highlights a large gap in the measurement of quality both at the point of care and at the health system level. There is a need for further work particularly on health system measurement strategies, accountability mechanisms, and patient-centered approaches in humanitarian settings.


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. s411-s411
Author(s):  
Johanna Blaak ◽  
Rachel DiMaio ◽  
Julia Kupis ◽  
Ross Sweetzir ◽  
Conny Betuzzi ◽  
...  

Johanna Blaak, W21C, University of Calgary; Rachel DiMaio, University of Calgary; Julia Kupis, University of Calgary; Ross Sweetzir, Cisco Systems; Conny Betuzzi, Alberta Children’s Hospital, Alberta Health Services; Corey Dowler, Alberta Children’s Hospital, Alberta Health Services; Krista McIntytre, Alberta Children’s Hospital, Alberta Health Services; Jaime Kaufman, University of Calgary; Greg Hallihan, University of Calgary; John Conly, Foothills Medical Centre; Joseph Vayalumkal, Alberta Childrens HospitalBackground: Interaction design offers a novel interventional strategy to enhance hand-hygiene compliance (HHC) and reduce hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) in the pediatric setting. A quality improvement initiative in collaboration with the University of Calgary and Alberta Health Services led to the implementation of a pilot project with sensor-embedded alcohol -based hand rub (ABHR) dispensers at a hematology-oncology and hematopoietic stem cell transplant unit at Alberta Children’s Hospital (ACH). Methods: Internet of things (IoT) sensors were installed in ABHR dispensers (n = 3) on the unit. Usage data were transmitted to a local server using an MQTT messaging protocol for 16 weeks. Real-time data visualization was presented on a central display next to the nursing station with 11 unique pediatric themes including dinosaurs, transportation, and Canadian animals. Data were collected with and without visualization, and frequency of use (FoU) was determined for both periods. Qualitative interviews with unit stakeholders (n = 13) were held to determine perceptions of the intervention. Results: During the first 8 weeks of the study period, the mean daily use without visualization was 47 times (SD, 14.5) versus 99 times (SD, 23.9) with visualization. When accounting for novelty, by removing the first week of data, the mean daily use was 92 (SD 19.6). The percentage increase from period 1 to period 2 was 96.6%, accounting for novelty. Qualitative interviews with stakeholders (n = 13) on the unit indicated that the intervention increased their personal awareness of hand hygiene (75%) and acted as a constant reminder to perform hand hygiene for everyone on the unit including nonclinical staff, patients, and family members (92%). Conclusions: These limited data suggest that interaction design may improve HH frequency and show promise as a tool for increased HH awareness and education. Interaction design provides a unique, innovative, and acceptable hand hygiene improvement strategy for staff, patients, and families in the pediatric inpatient setting.Funding: NoneDisclosures: None


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