The Patient and Family Advisory Council at the International Medical Center (IMC) aims to develop and improve patient engagement and experience. It seeks to do so by considering the perspectives of patients and their families, anticipating their needs, and paying attention to all details that can improve patients' satisfaction during their treatment journey across the continuum of care.
IMC is committed to listening to patient complaints and suggestions, and to offering fast solutions whenever possible or considering them for future development plans if certain long-term operational aspects are involved. This initiative was launched to develop a special organizational framework that could not only accept complaints and suggestions, but also enable patients and their families to become active partners in the care provided at IMC.
To implement this initiative, the Patient and Family Advisory Council was established in March 2017. It started with only three members who were patients and family members of patients with hospital experience. Currently PFAC includes ten members who meet periodically every month to address improvement needs.
The hospital leaders listen to the views of Council members, both patients and their relatives. They discuss their ideas, comments and suggestions, and pursue proposed solutions in collaboration with the concerned departments at the hospital. Feasible suggestions from patients are approved and implemented, which in turn reflects positively on the patient's experience.
According to a number of Council members, this entity is considered an ideal way to receive input from patients who can express their opinions and perceptions freely about improving health care services at IMC. It is the perspectives of these patients who receive health care services that can make a difference and contribute to radical changes in the health system.
When patients speak transparently and provide positive ideas and suggestions, this can help reduce negative experiences and contribute to creating a healing and patient cantered environment. It is also important to directly put such proposals into action and implement them on the ground, provided that they were found useful and will contribute to improving patient satisfaction.
- Facilitate information sharing by having caregivers communicate and share complete and unbiased information with patients and families in ways that are affirming and useful.
- Encourage participation as patients and families are encouraged and supported in participating in care and decision-making at the level that they choose.
- Facilitate collaboration by having patients, families, IMC leaders collaborate in policy and program development, implementation, and assessment; in health care facility design; and in professional education as well as in the delivery of care.
- Promote dignity and respect by encouraging caregivers to honor patient and family perspectives and choices. Patient and family knowledge, values, beliefs and cultural backgrounds will be incorporated into care planning and decision making.
- Serve as champions of the patient experience across the health system.
- Recommend areas for improvement in service quality to senior and provider leadership.
- Create structured opportunities for staff to learn from patients, families and community members. By doing so, staff will see the care experience through the patient/family lens thus enabling them to improve their practice, policies and outcomes.
(Saturday – Thursday from 08:00 AM to 10:00 PM)
