EP4
Nurses Collaborate with Patients / Families EP4
Provide one example, with supporting evidence, of nurse(s) collaborating with patient(s), families, or both, to influence change in the organization.
Example: Grief and Loss Resources
Background
Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI) St. Vincent Hot Springs (SVHS) has a Patient Family Advisory Council (PFAC) that meets quarterly. The PFAC is a formal structure that promotes collaboration with patients and families for decision-making in healthcare to improve quality, safety and the patient experience. (Evidence EP4-1, PFAC Charter) The PFAC is led by Rob Loudermilk, Service Excellence Coordinator, and consists of approximately six patients, family members and/or community representatives, and approximately six hospital representatives. At least 50% of the members are non- hospital representatives.
The committee members include a wide variety of community members, families and hospital coworkers. Nurses who collaborate with the PFAC on initiatives and projects include Teresa Lambert, MBA, BSN, RN, Vice President Patient Care Services and Assistant Chief Nursing Officer (role of CNO), and Logan Jenkins, BSN, RN, CCRN, Surgical Intensive Care Unit Clinical Nurse.
A community member who had lost a loved one at CHI SVHS attended the August 2022 PFAC meeting. The community members discussed and expressed concerns about the process after the death of a loved one. They thought the process was rushed, family members had questions that were not answered and there was not enough support through the process of losing a loved one. A smaller PFAC workgroup was therefore formed to focus on improving care after the death of a patient and providing grief resources to the families. The workgroup consisted of PFAC members, chaplains and Lambert. (Evidence EP4-2, PFAC Meeting Minutes and Roster, 8-24-2022)
Nurses’ Collaboration with Patients and Families to Make a Change in Organization
The workgroup met on October 26, 2022, to discuss how employees respond to families who have a loved one pass away at CHI SVHS. (Evidence EP4-3, Minutes and Roster, 10-26-2022) Through the workgroup’s collaboration, it became evident that a change was needed based on the firsthand experiences shared by family members in the group. The common them in the PFAC family members’ experiences was that they did not feel as though the staff supported them through the process after the death of a loved one.
During this meeting, the workgroup drafted a grief and loss brochure that would be given to families after the death of a loved one in the hospital. The brochure covers local grief support groups, online resources, support hotlines and a list of funeral homes in the area. (Evidence EP4-4, Brochure) When a patient passes away, the nurse is to notify the chaplain, who can then provide support to the family and distribute the brochure. The group also discussed the unit on which the patient passed sending a sympathy card to the family, signed by the staff. Stephanie Bailey, LPN, Manager of Volunteer and Guest Services, contacted Marketing after the October meeting to obtain samples of sympathy cards.
The workgroup provided an update at the November 2, 2022 PFAC meeting. The group reviewed and discussed the brochure for grief and loss resources, and they discussed sample sympathy cards provided by Marketing. Members provided ideas such as including a bible verse on the inside and having the unit team members sign the card. (Evidence EP4-5, PFAC Meeting Minutes and Roster, 11-02-2022) The group approved the grief and loss resource brochure. The sympathy cards were tabled for future discussion, as the group could not come to a consensus on the samples Marketing provided.
When a patient is actively dying, the nurse contacts the chaplain. The nurse and chaplain then collaborate with the family and loved ones on the next steps. This process includes providing the brochure with the resources to support the family and loved ones. The support provided by the chaplains in collaboration with the nurses is crucial for families at such a difficult time. This change in the organization, which was influenced by the PFAC collaborating with nurses and chaplains, has improved outcomes by providing families with the resources and support they need and answering their questions when losing a loved one.