Working with Patient and Family Advisors Webinar 2: Identifying and Training Advisors Pam Dardess, MPH Principal Researcher American Institutes for Research AMERICAN INSTITUTES FOR RESEARCH
Learning objectives • Discuss characteristics of successful and effective advisors • Learn how to find and select advisors • Learn what information needs to be conveyed during training, orientation, and initial interactions • Understand how to problem-solve common situations and develop sustained and meaningful partnerships 2 AMERICAN INSTITUTES FOR RESEARCH
Characteristics of successful patient and family advisors AMERICAN INSTITUTES FOR RESEARCH
Patient and family advisors • Who: Patients and family members who receive(d) care at your organization and who want to help improve care experiences for others • What: Collaborative partners in developing, revising, and making decisions about policies, procedures, and practices • Why: Help you make quality and safety improvements based on patient and 4 AMERICAN INSTITUTES FOR RESEARCH family-identified needs
Characteristics of successful advisors • No special qualifications or expertise necessary, but helpful to look for people who: – Have recent experience at your organization (within the past 3 to 5 years) – Have time to devote to being an advisor (usually between 1 to 4 hours a month) – As a group, reflect a broad cross-section of your organization’s population 5 AMERICAN INSTITUTES FOR RESEARCH
Characteristics of successful advisors (cont.) – Are coping well with their experiences – Are willing to talk about their experiences – Show a positive outlook and bring a sense of humor – Demonstrate a passion for improving health care for others 6 AMERICAN INSTITUTES FOR RESEARCH
Characteristics of successful advisors (cont.) – Can effectively share insights and information – Can speak comfortably and openly in a group setting – Have the ability to listen well – Can respect the perspectives of others and work in partnership with many different kinds of people – Can keep information they may hear as an advisor private and confidential 7 AMERICAN INSTITUTES FOR RESEARCH
Identifying and selecting effective advisors AMERICAN INSTITUTES FOR RESEARCH
Identifying advisors • Ask clinicians and staff to provide you with names • Look for individuals who have provided constructive feedback in the past – Ask patient relations office, patient representatives, ombudsmen, social workers for recommendations – Review letters or emails from patients and family members to identify candidates 9 AMERICAN INSTITUTES FOR RESEARCH
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Identifying advisors (cont.) • Post advertisements in your facility, distribute recruitment brochures – Place in public locations, admission or welcome packets, discharge packets, care instructions, include with survey mailings • Advertise at support groups or other patient and family meetings • Advertise opportunities on your website • Work with local community groups or hold a public event / information session 11 AMERICAN INSTITUTES FOR RESEARCH
Selecting advisors - application • Ask advisors to complete an application – Contact information – Demographic information – Dates of care experience, units on which they received care (if at hospital) – Interest areas – Open-ended questions: • Why they want to become an advisor • Previous volunteer or speaking experience • Brief information about care experiences 12 AMERICAN INSTITUTES FOR RESEARCH
Selecting advisors - interviews • Interviews can be conducted in-person or over the phone • Staff liaison should interview candidates, bring in other interviewers as needed (staff, other advisors) • Ask about: – What they would like to do as an advisor – Perceived strengths and skills – Ability to handle differences of opinion – Time commitment 13 AMERICAN INSTITUTES FOR RESEARCH
Selecting advisors – making decisions • Don’t select advisors just to have them! • Look at individuals and the pool of advisors as a whole – select diverse and complementary skills, interests, backgrounds • Inform candidates of decision in a timely manner – can be via phone, email, or mail • If an applicant is not selected, let them know you will keep their information on 14 AMERICAN INSTITUTES FOR RESEARCH file for future opportunities
Selecting advisors for quality and safety committees • Typically individuals who have already served as advisors in your organization • Ask hospital staff (staff liaison, committee chairs) who have worked with advisors for recommendations • Be clear on time commitment • Clearly explain roles and responsibilities • Describe projects on which they will be working • Interview with members of the committee 15 AMERICAN INSTITUTES FOR RESEARCH
Training, orientation, and initial interactions AMERICAN INSTITUTES FOR RESEARCH
Orientation and training • Coordinate with volunteer or training office if you have one – may conduct general orientation • Background about the organization and role – Information about how advisors help improve quality and safety, where they sit in the organization – Explanation of responsibilities and expectations – for advisors and the organization – Organization strategic plans – Key contacts at the organization – leaders, 17 personnel AMERICAN INSTITUTES FOR RESEARCH – •
A word on confidentiality • Advisors may have access to protected health information • Ask advisors to sign confidentiality agreement – Explanation of PHI and HIPAA – PHI can only be used and disclosed as permitted by law – can’t be shared outside of health care facility, can’t be shared in written, verbal, email communications unless permitted • Let people know that “what you see or hear here must remain here ” 18 AMERICAN INSTITUTES FOR RESEARCH
Tips for being an effective advisor • Provide general guidelines and helpful tips – but do so in a way that doesn’t inhibit input • Provide examples of how to handle common situations – “We found that things worked well for our family when…” – “What I hear you saying is…” – “Can you walk me through this so I can picture it?” – “I see it a bit differently…” 19 AMERICAN INSTITUTES FOR RESEARCH – “Help me understand why this change is not possible.”
Tips for successful interactions • Before meetings – Send materials well ahead of time (agenda, materials to review, directions) – Reminder phone calls or emails • Day of meeting – Signage!! – Name tags or name tents – Ensure access for individuals with disabilities, impairments, functional limitations 20 AMERICAN INSTITUTES FOR RESEARCH
Tips for successful interactions • First meeting – Introductions - leave plenty of time (3-4 minutes per person) – Review purpose and goals – Discuss procedures and roles – Discuss potential projects, upcoming activities – Wrap up, action items, and next steps 21 AMERICAN INSTITUTES FOR RESEARCH
Tips for successful interactions • Establish norms and ground rules – Start and end on time, policies about absence, importance of sharing the floor • Don’t try to tackle too much at once – Be wary of information overload • Communicate complex information clearly – Plain language, explain clinical terms, explain QI processes, visual depiction of data • Provide ongoing support of advisors – Follow up after meetings to encourage participation, ask about experiences 22 AMERICAN INSTITUTES FOR RESEARCH
Problem solving and developing sustained and meaningful partnerships AMERICAN INSTITUTES FOR RESEARCH
Problem solving • Careful selection and training helps minimize, not eliminate, later difficulties • Debrief regularly, address any problems quickly • Look for ways to make the situation work – Provide additional training, coaching, or mentoring – Examine match between advisor skills and situation, personalities – Think about whether advisors have been set up for success • If all else fails, ask the advisor to step down – position this as wanting to bring in new advisors and new perspectives 24 AMERICAN INSTITUTES FOR RESEARCH
Sustaining relationships • Advisors want to know that they are making a difference! – Track and communicate advisor activities – Circle back to let advisors know outcomes of projects • Invite leadership to meet with advisors • Look for opportunities to present at conferences with advisors • Provide ongoing, transparent feedback and communication 25 AMERICAN INSTITUTES FOR RESEARCH
Questions and discussion AMERICAN INSTITUTES FOR RESEARCH
Discussion and questions • What ideas do you have for working with advisors in your organization? (Follow up on learning activity from Webinar 1) • Do you have any experiences or lessons learned to share? • What questions do you have? 27 AMERICAN INSTITUTES FOR RESEARCH
Resources • AHRQ’s Guide to Patient and Family Engagement: http://www.ahrq.gov/professionals/syste ms/hospital/engagingfamilies/guide.html • Institute for Patient- and Family- Centered Care: www.ipfcc.org • Georgia Regents Medical Center: http://www.grhealth.org/patient-family- centered-care/pfcc 28 AMERICAN INSTITUTES FOR RESEARCH
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