Why Should We Care “What Matters Most” to Our Patients and their Families?
Published June 27, 2016
Mary Ann Dragon, Director, Patient and Family Services, Rainbow Babies and Children’s’ and MacDonald Women’s Hospitals University Hospitals, discusses why we should care about what matters most to patients and families. Communicating and making connections show us how to individualize care to support patient and family engagement and participation in the plan of care.
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Patient Family & Community Engagement
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Gabby Ceccolini, MS Healthcare Communication Specialist The Problem with Patient-Centered Care For decades, our healthcare system has poured time, money, and innovation into training doctors to communicate better; however, what if we are overlooking the other half of the equation? The term “patient-centered” began appearing in medical literature in the late 1980s. It wasn’t until
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Patient Family & Community Engagement
From Waiting to Welcoming: How Children’s of Alabama Elevated Pediatric ED Experience
Published March 1, 2026

Children’s of Alabama elevated its pediatric emergency department experience by using real-time feedback, activating surge capacity sooner, and creating sensory-friendly spaces to better support patients and families. These targeted efforts reduced Left Without Being Seen rates by more than half and led to top national performance among peer pediatric emergency departments.
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Patient Family & Community Engagement
“Why should anyone want to make things better for me particularly?” – A qualitative exploration of Care Opinion and NHS care improvements
Published August 8, 2025
Care Opinion is an online platform which enables people to share anonymous feedback (known as “stories”) about their experiences of UK healthcare. In Scotland, this platform has official government backing, though healthcare organisations are not obliged to use it. Care Opinion staff review and edit these stories, acting as moderators. Healthcare staff are invited to
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