KIDS CARE: A Behavioral Model To Strengthen Patient and Family Partnerships

Patient- and Family-Centered Care is a core value of The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). Satisfaction/ experience data are closely tracked to assist in determining if hospital staff are partnering effectively with patients and families. When opportunities for improvement were identified within the Nursing Department, an existing institutional model, KIDS CARE, was used to promote change. KIDS CARE was developed to teach and reinforce respectful behaviors for nurses initiating partnerships with patients and families. The Patient Satisfaction Committee partnered with the Family Advisory Council and Shared Governance Council to revise this model to help achieve the goals of improving quality of care. Next steps involved educating patients, families, and staff using innovative multimodal strategies. By engaging in this renewed commitment to Patient- and Family-Centered Care, systems and structures were developed to keep KIDS CARE relevant and make strides toward improved outcomes for patients and families.