Dehumanizing Problems Recognized by Front Line Healthcare Workers and Proposed Low-Cost Solutions to Improve Care

The objective was to summarize our experiences with the Impact Grants program, describe the dehumanizing problems, and proposed humanizing solutions identified by multidisciplinary clinician teams working in clinical settings across our institution. Multidisciplinary clinical teams working across inpatient and outpatient settings submitted Impact Grant proposals. We conducted content analysis of 93 Impact Grant proposals, using deductive and inductive coding. Seven domains of dehumanizing problems were identified; select examples include education that is lacking or missing the mark, logistics within healthcare that are insensitive, and suffering of patients being discounted. The analysis of the humanizing solutions yielded 6 categories - advancing educational materials, augmenting patient comfort, enhancing the clinical environment, deepening connections between clinicians and patients, improving logistics within and across clinical setting, and ensuring the adequacy of requisite supplies. The Impact Grant program encouraged the clinical workforce to share concerns and devise innovative solutions. Inviting and supporting teams to improve care delivery may invigorate their commitment and engagement in humanizing healthcare delivery.