Patients, families register in innovative program
Haven’ provided for waiting loved ones
Access staff at Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston check in not just the patient, but the family as well, as part of the institution’s Family Liaison Service, says Christine Collins, CHAM, director of patient access services.
The program, which aims to provide a haven for family members during their loved one’s surgery, has drawn kudos from patients, their families, and Brigham physicians, Collins adds. What’s more, the program was recognized as a "best practice" for customer service within the organization. "The physicians like it so much they send flowers and candy to the staff. Everyone who comes in is blown away by this service."
Patient info always updated
All calls related to surgical patients are directed to the Family Liaison Service, which logs and constantly updates patient information using a computerized tracking system, she explains. When the patient comes in for surgery or for a cardiac catheterization, part of the admission is registering the family with Family Liaison, Collins notes.
Staff record information on where family members can be reached and provide it to surgeons so they can contact a designated person as soon as the case is finished. If someone has a beeper, that number is logged into the computer as well, she adds.
The impetus for the program was a patient survey that gave high marks for the medical care provided by the hospital but was less positive about the staff’s interaction with family members, she says. "They felt it was very production line.’ It wasn’t a major complaint, but we took it very literally and looked for things we could do to make it better. We made a conscious decision to place the family in a more caring environment."
In designing the service, Collins notes, she drew on her own experience with airport lounges, hotel club floors, and waiting areas in other settings. "I had always been impressed with how the Boston Children’s Hospital made the family part of everything and made special provisions on the day of surgery," she adds. "I thought we should look at that model and see how to adapt it to the adult world."
The initial effort was to designate a place within the main waiting area where families could gather during patient surgeries. The idea was so successful, Collins says, "with so many positive notes and letters," that the decision was made to create a more private, beautifully decorated environment for the Family Liaison Service.
Amenities await families
The result is a space that is part of patient access services but separate from the main waiting area, Collins says. It offers these features:
• an open area with comfortable chairs, a kitchenette, and tables where people can talk, read, play games, or have a snack;
• a quiet room and separate reading room for those who prefer more privacy;
• private consult rooms, where physicians can meet with family members;
• a television room equipped with a VCR and videotapes;
• a bank of telephones;
• a business area with a fax machine, connections for laptops, and extra telephones;
• games, cards, books, magazines, and puzzles for adults and children;
• pillows and blankets for those who would like to rest.
Family liaison employees, part of the patient access staff, are on duty beginning at 5:30 a.m., Collins says, and are augmented by volunteers. Thanks to a dynamic operating room (OR) schedule, color-coded to indicate where each patient is in the process, staff can update the families on what is happening, Collins points out. "They can say, [The patient] has just been taken to the OR,’ or The incision has been made,’ or they can tell them if the case has been delayed."
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