Partnering With Patients to Improve Care: The Value of Patient and Family Advisory Councils.

Abstract

Increasingly, healthcare organizations are adopting patient and family advisory councils as a key strategy to create a culture grounded in patient- and family-centered principles and improve the patient experience. In the 1st of a 3-part series, the chief nurse executive and the director of patient- and family-centered care at a Magnet®-designated academic medical center discuss how a stronger patient voice can lead to better care and improved clinical outcomes. The authors examine ways in which the Magnet culture helped drive change and offer tips to establish a successful patient and family advisory council.