March 3, 2006

From left, Johnson, Susan Edgman-Levitan, executive director of the Stoeckle Center, Nicola Majchrzak and David Judge, MD, of the Bulfinch Medical Group

Seminar series launched with focus on patient and family involvement in care

With a mission of improving primary care practice by focusing on the relationship between patients, their families and clinicians, the Stoeckle Center for Primary Care Innovation and the Ambulatory Practice of the Future (APF) project launched their 2006 seminar series Feb. 22 with a guest expert in providing patient- and family-centered care.

Beverly Johnson, RN, president and chief executive officer of the Institute for Family-Centered Care, in Bethesda, Md., visited the MGH at the invitation of the Stoeckle Center and the APF to meet with various departments about partnering with patients and families in every aspect of their hospital or outpatient experience to ultimately improve their care. She met with leaders from primary care, internal medicine, critical care, Emergency Services, the Cancer Center and MassGeneral Hospital for Children to discuss MGH patient-focused projects such as the APF, the Cancer Center and Pediatric patient/family advisory committees and the involvement of patients and families in redesigning the informed consent process.

Johnson's visit culminated with her guest appearance at the seminar held in the Ether Dome. She covered many aspects of patient- and family-centered care, defining what this type of care truly means and encouraging staff to partner with patients and families to improve the patient experience, the quality of care and the environment in which care is given. She said that integrating the concept of patient-focused care into the infrastructure of an organization is a key element to making these partnerships successful.

"What I hope I've provided during my visit are the practical tools for you to take back to your clinical care settings to partner with patients and families to change that care," said Johnson. "Whether it is care for a geriatric population, maternity care or adult care in an ICU setting, the tools are all the same to effectively connect with patients and families."

The seminars take place the fourth Wednesday of each month from 4 to 5 pm in the Ether Dome and are open to all employees. Video conferencing is available upon request for off-site participation. For more information, call (617) 726-0150.