At Hospice of the Fisher Home, patient-centered care is our top priority. It drives us forward and helps us make sure that our patient’s needs are always met. In fact, this approach is integral to hospice as a whole.
Hospice is all about helping people on their end-of-life journey – mitigating their pain and managing symptoms while providing compassionate holistic care during a difficult time. This is a deeply personal moment in a person’s life that can only be navigated in the way that they see fit. That’s why it is at the center of all we do. If you’d like to donate to our mission click the button below!
What is Patient-Centered Care?
Patient-centered care is an approach to healthcare that prioritizes individual needs, preferences, values, and perspectives. It takes into account desired health outcomes, even if a patient is in hospice care. Additionally, it places the patient totally at the center of their healthcare experience so they are involved in all aspects of their care that they want to be a part of.
Key Principles of Patient-Centered Care in Hospice
Respect for a dying person’s values, preferences, and autonomy: Just because someone is nearing the end of their life does not mean that they are ready to release control of their life. Healthcare providers should respect people’s individual right to make decisions about their care.
Empathy and compassion: Hospice care workers should always demonstrate an empathetic and compassionate nature. This means not only allowing a dying person to express their needs, experiences, concerns, and emotions but taking the time to understand them.
Communication: Open, honest, and clear communication between hospice caregivers and their patients is essential for building trust and facilitating patient-centered care.
Holistic Focus: When fostering an environment for patient-centered care, hospice professionals cannot just focus on medical needs. Psychological, social, spiritual, and emotional well-being should all be taken into account.
Overall, patient-centered care aims to improve patient satisfaction at the end of their life. It improves the quality of healthcare in its totality by placing patient needs and preferences at the forefront of decision-making and hospice planning.
Benefits of Patient-Centered Care
According to the New England Journal of Medicine, “The primary goal and benefit of patient-centered care is to improve individual health outcomes, not just population health outcomes.” However, there are benefits that spread from patients to providers and the larger healthcare systems.
Benefits for Patients:
Improved outcomes
Increased care satisfaction
A feeling of ease
Individualized care
Other Benefits:
Care team satisfaction increased
Decreased utilization of healthcare resources, as treatments are more engaging
Improved organization reputation
Better job satisfaction
What is Needed for Patient-Centered Care?
For a hospice care facility to be patient-centered, it takes a few key elements. These revolve around the way that decisions are made and the way care is delivered. They include:
A health care system having the mission, vision, and values to align with patient-centered care. For example, at the Fisher Home we pride ourselves on patient-centered care for veterans. We are Level Three Partners as part of the We Honor Veterans Program. This means that our staff has taken the time to learn about the important needs of veterans and provide their care in a way that targets their specific needs.
Information is shared completely with patients so that they can make informed decisions.
Collaborative, coordinated, and accessible care.
An expectation that patients (and their families) play an important role in the care team. This includes decision-making and discussion.
A holistic approach. Care that focuses on both physical comfort and emotional well-being.
An understanding of patient preferences, cultural traditions, socioeconomic conditions, and values.
A setting where loved ones are welcomed and encouraged to visit.
Patient-centered care is at the forefront of the mission of hospice - a section of medicine that focuses solely on the needs of the dying. By practicing patient-centered care, everyone benefits.
If you’d like to support a healthcare organization that promotes patient-centered care consider donating to the Fisher Home. Or follow us on Instagram and Facebook.
Alternatively, if you’d like to impact our patients directly you can adopt a day or week of hospice care via our adoption center.
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