The consumer's role in quality: partnering for quality outcomes

Partnering with the patient in the planning and delivery of care to achieve high-quality outcomes is a goal shared by health care providers. The achievement of a full partnership with the patient often varies based on the communication skills of individual nurses. To provide more consistency, Patient Standards of Care (SOCs) were created that are written from the patients' viewpoint in lay terms and are condition-specific. The content includes commitments of the health care team, patient care issues and concerns, what the team will do, what the patient can do, and outcome expectations. The end result is to promote the patients' engagement in their own care through the sharing of accountabilities for desired outcomes.