At Lovelace Westside Hospital we value the relationships we establish with our patients and their families. Our recent Patient Family Centered Care (PFCC) designation supports a style of care where the needs and choices of patients and their families define the care they receive.
“Having the PFCC designation shows our dedication to continual improvement in providing compassionate, caring, quality and safe delivery of care while partnering with the people who matter most; patients and families,” says Patricia Pacheco, Medical-Surgical Department director.
While many patients are capable of making their own decisions, we recognize the role family plays when it comes to the patient's health. Family support and participation in decision-making is essential to patient- and family-centered care.
“Our staff recognizes that our patients and their families are a single unit. They are partners in their care,” says Patricia. “We believe in working with them instead of the traditional health care model of working for them.”
This style of health care reinforces our goal for patients and their loved ones to have a trusting partnership with our health care team.
Here are some of the ways the PFCC designation enhance care at our hospital :
· We allow our patients to define who their “family” members are.
· We view families as “partners” in care instead of “visitors” in our hospital.
· We invite and accommodate family members to stay the night with the patient
· We encourage family members to participate in mealtime by offering each patient two meal coupons during their stay.
· As requested, we will involve family members in bedside reports and physician rounding.
“When a patient is ill, the entire family needs care and compassion, says Patricia. “Our staff delivers this with dignity and respect while recognizing each family’s level of need.”
Lovelace Westside Hospital is the only hospital in the state to achieve the Pinwheel Champion title by the Institute for Patient- and Family-Centered Care. For more information about Patient- and Family-Centered Care at Lovelace Westside Hospital, please click here.