Placing the patient at the center of care

This is the ninth in a series of articles from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston describing one general medical unit's experiences with Transforming Care at the Bedside (TCAB). An initiative begun by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, TCAB was developed as a way to improve care on medical-surgical units, patients' and family members' experience of care, and teamwork among care team members and to increase nurse satisfaction and retention. The TCAB philosophy engages all care leaders, but empowers bedside nurses to generate ideas and solutions for change. Mass General is one of 68 hospitals participating in a two-year TCAB initiative led by the American Organization of Nurse Executives and funded with a grant from the RWJF. For more information on TCAB, go to www.rwjf.org/pr/product.jsp?id=31512.