Four principles underlie patient and family partnership in care

(HealthDay)—Patient and family partnership in care should include treatment of patients and families with dignity and respect, their active engagement in all aspects of care, and their contribution to the improvement of health care systems and education of health care professionals, according to a position paper published online Nov. 27 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Wendy K. Nickel, M.P.H., from the American College of Physicians (ACP) in Philadelphia, and colleagues examined the rationale for patient and family partnership in care and associated outcomes. Based on a comprehensive literature review, the authors developed a set of principles to form the basis of patient and family partnership in care.

The authors note there is growing agreement that effective patient and family partnership is essential for achieving the triple aim of improving the experience of care and health outcomes while lowering costs. Therefore, the ACP developed the following principles for patient and family partnership in care: treating patients and families with dignity and respect, engaging patients and their families as active partners in all areas of care, encouraging patients and families to contribute to the development and improvement of health care systems, and partnering with patients and families in education of health care professionals.

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