"To know the road ahead, ask those coming back," goes an oft-quoted Chinese proverb. That’s the philosophy behind peer support programs, which help connect people who are dealing with health challenges to others who have “been there” and experienced similar problems. Peer support programs can offer hope, connection and practical advice for managing health conditions,(...)
patient engagement
Seeing It Through: Confronting the Danger of Missed Blood Clot Prophylaxis
Posted by | Patient-Centered Care, Preventing Patient Harm- By Elliott Haut and Brandyn Lau on behalf of the Johns Hopkins Venous Thromboembolism Collaborative You pack a healthy lunch for your child, but the carrot sticks and apple come home untouched. You donate to disaster relief, but the supplies sit unused in a shipping container. You mail a birthday gift to a friend,(...)
What Teenage Patients — and Their Parents — Want from Their Care Team
Posted by | Patient-Centered CareFor anyone with a serious medical condition, frequent hospitalizations and clinic visits can have a profoundly disruptive impact. Yet adolescent and teenage patients have a uniquely challenging experience. A boy who would otherwise be playing on a soccer team or performing in a play may be undergoing chemotherapy. A girl who had expected to be(...)
The Patient Wish List
Posted by | Patient-Centered CareSince undergoing a double-lung transplant at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in December 2011, Podge Reed Jr. has had four medical admissions, two surgical admissions, eight outpatient procedures requiring anesthesia, more than 100 outpatient appointments, and 700 labs and other tests. He's amassed enough experiences with the health care system to write a book. So far,(...)
Mining Patients’ Wisdom for Safer Care
Posted by | Patient-Centered Care, Preventing Patient HarmConsider, for a moment, that you are a new physician. A patient, who is a lifelong smoker, comes to your clinic complaining of shortness of breath, and after conducting several tests you diagnose him with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Relying on your training, you prescribe medications, arrange for follow-up visits and describe activities that can(...)
Getting Patients’ Loved Ones off the Sidelines: The Family Involvement Menu
Posted by | Patient-Centered Care, Preventing Patient HarmYears ago, I felt firsthand what it was like to be the helpless family member of a hospitalized patient. My mother had undergone surgery in a hospital nearly three hours away, and things had not gone well. She was unconscious when I arrived in the intensive care unit. One of the first things I noticed(...)
Changing The Conversation About Patient-Centered Care
Posted by | Patient-Centered CareEarlier this year, our hospital staff was weighing a new 24/7 family presence policy to allow immediate family members to stay with patients 24 hours a day. We knew this was a step in the direction of delivering patient- and family-centered care. We presented the proposal at a meeting of our Patient and Family Advisory(...)