At IHI, we recognize the importance of the human side of health care. Today’s complex, fragmented systems put great pressure on providers and center care on the needs of the system itself, not the needs of patients and families. Working together, we can do better and, in doing so, improve well-being while reducing unwanted care.
Suggested Resources for Getting Started
IHI Open School Course PFC 101: Introduction to Patient-Centered Care
This online course is designed to provide information on specific skills needed to treat patients and families with dignity and respect. It is designed for care providers who are beginning to learn about person- and family- centered care and includes videos and audio recordings. Available by subscription, and free to students and faculty.
Patient- and Family-Centered Care Organizational Self-Assessment Tool
This self-assessment tool allows organizations to understand the range and breadth of elements of patient- and family-centered care and to assess where they are against the leading edge of practice.
"An Ounce of Prevention": Maureen Bisognano, IHI International Summit 2012 Keynote
In this video, IHI President Emerita and Senior Fellow Maureen Bisognano shares her thoughts on where health care needs to focus in the future ─ at the patient level, at the practice level, and in the community ─ and she outlines a vision of changing the conversation from "What's the matter?" to "What matters to you?"
Achieving an Exceptional Patient and Family Experience of Inpatient Hospital Care
This IHI white paper presents a framework centered on five primary drivers of an exceptional experience of care that hospitals can use to design, test, and implement changes, weaving them into the fabric of daily work to achieve outstanding results. Use this white paper and driver diagram to learn about best practices and map our your own organizational efforts to make care more person- and family-centered.
Always Events Toolkit
IHI created the Always Events Toolkit to help providers at the front lines of care understand what an Always Event is, how to select a set of practices for an Always Event initiative, and the steps for implementing the initiative.
The Pursuit of Genuine Partnerships with Patients and Family Members
This article uses Kouzes and Posner's leadership framework to outline how executive leaders might embrace this challenge and accomplish profound change, and examples of practice from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement are included to support this idea.
More Resources >>
