Vizient Offers Findings on Patients and Families as Educators in Health Care

Vizient, Inc. announced today the results of a survey that measured the prevalence of patients and families as educators in hospitals and academic medical centers. The survey, conducted in collaboration with the Institute for Patient- and Family-Centered Care, reveals areas of opportunity for health care organizations to develop sustainable and meaningful educational involvement of patients and families as a means to improve outcomes in quality and patient experiences of care. Click here for the executive summary: https://newsroom.vizientinc.com/content/1221/files/Documents/PatientAndFamilyFacultyStudyMediaSummary.pdf

“We know hospitals that partner with patients and families in quality, safety and operational improvement efforts reap the rewards of those efforts, but not much is known about their impact as educators,” said Kellie Goodson, Performance Improvement Program director for Vizient. “This first of its kind study provides foundational knowledge about how health care institutions are partnering with patients and families in educating students, trainees and healthcare professionals.”

The survey found that 54% of respondents had involved patients and families when educating staff, clinicians, and organizational leaders. When it comes to the education of students and trainees such as medical and nursing students, residents, allied health students, 41% of academic medical center respondents had involved patients and families. Health care organizations with longer and deeper experience working with patient and family advisors (PFAs) were more likely to partner with them in educational programming, and top performers provide support for their involvement including training, evaluations and reimbursement for expenses.

Survey data was collected in October and November of 2020 from 67 respondents who were grouped into academic medical centers and non-academic medical centers including teaching hospitals, community-based hospitals and specialty hospitals. The survey’s findings raise awareness of opportunities for PFAs to support educational activities that facilitate collaborative communication, coordination within teams and across disciplines and authentic partnerships with patients and families.

PFAs are patients and family members who have received care at health care organizations and who partner with the organizations to improve health care quality, safety and the patient experience. By engaging PFAs, providers can effectively integrate patient and family feedback into strategic planning aimed at the safety of health care service delivery.

To read the full survey report, click here: https://newsroom.vizientinc.com/content/1221/files/Documents/PrevalenceAndFunctioningOfPatientsAndFamiliesAsEducators.pdf

About Vizient, Inc.

Vizient, Inc. provides solutions and services that improve the delivery of high-value care by aligning cost, quality and market performance for more than 50% of the nation’s acute care providers, which includes 97% of the nation’s academic medical centers, and more than 20% of ambulatory care providers. Vizient provides expertise, analytics and advisory services, as well as a contract portfolio that represents more than $110 billion in annual purchasing volume, to improve patient outcomes and lower costs. In 2021, Vizient acquired Intalere, which expanded its footprint with ambulatory and rural acute care providers. Vizient has earned a World’s Most Ethical Company designation from the Ethisphere Institute every year since its inception. Headquartered in Irving, Texas, Vizient has offices throughout the United States. Learn more at www.vizientinc.com.

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.@VizientInc announced today the results of a survey that measured the prevalence of patients and families as educators in hospitals and academic medical centers.