Did you
know that October is PFCC Awareness Month?
Patient
and Family Centered Care (PFCC) Awareness Month is an international
awareness-building campaign that occurs every October to commemorate the
progress that has been made toward making PFCC a reality and to build momentum
for further progress through education and collaboration.
Hospitals
and health care organizations around the world are encouraged to celebrate by
empowering patients, strengthening their patient and family centered care
practices, and publicly proclaiming to their patients and communities their
commitments to PFCC.
The staff
at Renaissance Orthopaedics and The Orthopaedic Program at Magee-Womens
Hospital of UPMC, under the leadership of Dr. Tony DiGioia, have implemented
many PFCC measures for patients needing orthopaedic care. Dr. DiGioia designed the PFCC
Orthopaedic Program to make the surgical process as easy and pain-free as
possible for patients and their families.
The orthopaedic staff understand patients' and families' needs from the
beginning of the process to the end.
They use a team approach with the patient (and the patient's chosen
coach) as team members. This builds
a sense of community and allows the team to focus on the patient's
wellness. PFCC methods start with
the initial appointment through pre-op testing and teaching to pre-surgery
discharge planning, surgery, pain management, physical therapy and
discharge.
The
in-patient hospital unit was designed to promote a healing environment. PFCC hospitals are organized, not
cluttered. The unit is clean and
quiet. It provides comfort to
patients and families in a friendly, open, welcoming environment. Most patients in The Orthopaedic
Program at Magee are able to stay in private rooms with wireless internet
access. Café-style room service is
available 24 hours each day. There
is even a state-of-the-art gym and fitness area on the unit floor. Family and friends are able to visit
with patients in the Family Room.
The Family Room is a combination kitchen/living room with rocking
chairs, couches, a big screen TV, a fully stocked refrigerator, internet kiosk
and a massage chair.
The
results show that PFCC works!
Renaissance Orthopaedics and The Orthopaedic Program's patients stay in
the hospital one to three days (with an average of approximately two and a
third days). Ninety-five percent
of patients are discharged directly to their homes. Press Ganey scores place Dr. Digioia's group in the 99th
percentile nationally. These are
the highest Press Ganey scores in the region! Patients agree:
After a month, 90 percent reported decreased pain from pre-op, 90
percent resumed "normal" activity, 90 percent reported good to excellent
outcomes, and 99 percent would recommend The PFCC Orthopaedic Program to friends
and family!
Dr.
DiGioia also chairs workshops to teach PFCC methods to other health care
providers. In partnership with the
Innovation Center at Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC, the AMD3 Foundation
sponsors the PFCC Workshop Series, which is geared toward all caregivers from
support staff, nurses, doctors, and, in fact, any person who has the potential
to impact a patient's care experience.
The next
PFCC Workshop Series event will be the VisionQuest Workshop, A Journey to Transform the
Patient and Family Experience Begins Here...One Step at a Time, which will be held on Friday,
Nov. 13. To find out more
information about this workshop or to register, please visit www.patientandfamilycenteredcare.org.
To learn
more about the PFCC methodology, please visit www.patientandfamilycenteredcare.org.
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