Advancing the Practice of Patient- and Family-Centered Care How to Get Started. Bethesda, Maryland: Institute for Family-Centered Care; 2008.

Bringing the perspectives of patients and families directly into the planning, delivery, and evaluation of health care — thereby improving its quality and safety — is what patient- and family-centered care is all about. Many hospitals, however, question how to link it with their overall mission and how to get started. This document provides answers to some of these commonly asked questions; outlines steps for getting started; provides assessment tools; and lists select resources.

Earp JL, French EA, Gilkey MB
Boston, Massachusetts: Jones & Bartlett Publishers; 2007

With a focus on the consumer's perspective, this book identifies patient advocacy as a potentially effective way to initiate needed changes in US health care. This introductory volume synthesizes patient advocacy from a multi-level approach and is a relevant text for students in schools of public health, nursing, and social work.

Freeman HP. A model patient navigation program. Oncology Issues. 2004 Sept/Oct;19:44-46.

This article describes the origins of the patient navigation model first developed by Dr. Harold Freeman at Harlem Hospital in New York. His Patient Navigator Program assigns personal guides to help disadvantaged cancer patients and their families navigate the cancer treatment process and overcome health disparities obstacles that may limit their access to quality care. While the model was based on breast cancer care, the concept of patient navigation can be applied to the care of patients with other diseases.

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Joseph A. Health Promotion by Design in Long-Term Care Settings. Concord, California: The Center for Health Design. August 2006.

This research report presents findings from more than 250 articles published in peer-reviewed journals that assess the relationship between physical environmental factors and resident and staff outcomes in different types of long-term care settings — skilled-nursing facilities, assisted-living settings, special-care units, and independent-living facilities.

Joseph A. The Impact of Light on Outcomes in Healthcare Settings. Concord, California: The Center for Health Design. August 2006; Issue Paper #2.

This research paper examines the effects of light on human health and performance, and reviews the literature linking light (daylight and artificial light) with health outcomes in

health care settings.

Wojcieszak D, Banja J, Houk C. The Sorry Works! Coalition: Making the case for full disclosure. Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety. Jun 2006;32(6):344-350.

The Sorry Works! Coalition, an organization of doctors, lawyers, insurers, and patient advocates, is dedicated to promoting full disclosure and apologies for medical errors as a "middle-ground solution" in the medical liability crisis. If a standard of care was not met (as shown by a root cause analysis) in a bad outcome or adverse event, the providers (and their insurer) should apologize to the patient/family, admit fault, provide an explanation of what happened and how the hospital will ensure that the error is not repeated, and offer compensation. The Sorry Works! protocol is based on the disclosure program developed at the Department of Veterans Affairs Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky.

Mazor KM, Reed GW, Yood RA, et al. Disclosure of medical errors: What factors influence how patients respond? Journal of General Internal Medicine. Jul 2006;21(7):704-710.

This study sought to determine whether full disclosure, an existing positive physician-patient relationship, an offer to waive associated costs, and the severity of the clinical outcome influenced patients' responses to medical errors.

Mazor KM, Simon SR, Yood RA, et al. Health plan members’ views on forgiving medical errors. American Journal of Managed Care. Jan 2005;11(1):49-52.

The authors’ findings suggest that patients are not likely to forgive a physician in circumstances in which they suspect incompetence, inattention, or a lack of caring on the part of the physician involved. A more comprehensive understanding of forgiveness and the effect of forgiveness on the physician-patient relationship following a medical error is needed.

Lesnewski R. A piece of my mind: Mistakes. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2006 Sep;296(11):1327-1328.

The author describes a scenario in which medical students discuss what actions the physician of an imaginary patient should take, if any, to acknowledge a medical mistake that was unlikely to cause harm to the patient. The most troubling part of the experience, claims the author, was “the ease with which a group of medical students defended a kind of deception.”

Lazare A. Apology in medical practice: An emerging clinical skill. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2006 Sep;296(11):1401-1404.

The author states that an effective apology is one of the most profound healing processes between individuals, groups, or nations. It may restore damaged relationships or even strengthen previously satisfactory relationships. For the offender, offering an apology may diminish guilt, shame, and the fear of retaliation. For the offended party, receiving an apology may remove a grudge with its corrosive anger, thereby facilitating forgiveness and reconciliation.