Patient-Centered Caring: A Model to Improve the Patient and Family Experience

Jane S. Mahoney, PhD, RN, Director of Nursing Practice and Research, The Menninger Clinic, Associate Professor, Baylor College of Medicine
Susan Hardesty, MD, Senior Vice President and Medical Director, The Menninger Clinic, Associate Professor, Baylor College of Medicine

There is a risk in contemporary healthcare that patient-centered care could be limited to manualized, technical and biological therapies that minimize or neglect human caring. The Patient-Centered Caring Model was developed in response to this concern. In this presentation, the presenters will highlight three interrelated practice concepts: delivering customer service, understanding the illness experience, and providing trauma-informed care supported by Patient-Centered Caring competencies. The presenters will focus on the parallel processes that occur between patients and healthcare professionals. Participants will learn to incorporate these concepts into meaningful everyday interactions with patients, families and colleagues to improve the patient experience.