Creating a Process for Patient-Family Members to be a Part of Your Improvement Work
Published July 7, 2016
Ann Hagensen, RN, Project Manager, Patient Relations & Service and Kathy Leicester, Patient and Family Volunteer, Virginia Mason Medical Center, share three components of wisdom regarding equal partnerships with patients and families.
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Patient Family & Community Engagement
“Psychosocial Dimensions of Living with Hep B: Notes from the Field The Lived Experience of a Mother Raising a Daughter with Hepatitis B”
Published August 8, 2025
What follows is based on the interweaving of three points of view each of which contributes to an understanding of the experience of living with Hepatitis B: (i) as the mother of a daughter who was diagnosed with HBV at 5 months and who still, at age 22, carries traces of the surface antigen in
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Patient Family & Community Engagement
Evaluating the Net Promoter Score to improve the emergency department patient experience in real-time
Published July 17, 2025

Northern Sydney Health District evaluated whether the Net Promoter Score (NPS) survey provided deeper insights of patient experience in the ED than an existing satisfaction survey. The study concluded that the NPS was statistically and clinically significant and is a recommended metric for measuring both patient satisfaction and experience in ED’s and other hospital settings.
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Patient Family & Community Engagement
The Art of Diagnosis: How to Actively Participate in Your Healthcare
Published August 8, 2025
Diagnosing illness is one of the most complex and error-prone aspects of healthcare, yet patients are rarely equipped with the knowledge or tools to engage in the process actively. This article demystifies diagnosis by explaining how doctors formulate differential diagnoses, the limitations of medical testing, and the cognitive and systemic factors that contribute to diagnostic
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