Helping companies provide Person-Centered Care is a high priority for SureQuest Systems, Inc. This is a first in a series of blog posts focused on Person-Centered Care in the health care realm and the positive impact it can have on an entire organization.
We’re in the midst of a major culture change for the health care environment. Putting the customer first is becoming difficult with budgets being cut and finances getting tight. It can be easy to make the bottom line a higher priority than the happiness of our clientele. The companies at the forefront of this culture change are finding ways to do both successfully. This culture change is being referred to as person-centered care.
What is person-centered care? According to the Continuing Care Leadership Coalition, a membership and advocacy organization focused on improving the long-term care sector, person centered care is “the practice of basing key long term care decisions– in areas ranging from how meals are served and how bathing is offered to how work is structured in an organization – on individual resident needs, preferences, and expectations”. While this definition is tailored to long-term care it can be modified to span the entire healthcare sector. Person-centered care is the practice of basing key HEALTH CARE decisions on resident, patient, and customer needs, preferences, and expectations. This can range from menu offerings, food ordering and delivery, individual time management (visiting times, medication delivery, etc), organizational management within the company, personal space (privacy, living arrangement design, personalization), and many other facets.
The following are only a few short examples of things you can ask about when starting to implement person-centered care in your organization. Does this individual prefer to sleep at certain hours? Do they like to be referred to by a specific nickname? Are there certain individuals that should not be allowed to visit? Do they like to do specific activities in their free time? Do they practice a certain belief system that recognizes specific prayer times, activities, or dietary habits? Food service, including menu options and delivery practices, can play a large role in providing person-centered care to your customers.
Companies across the globe are riding the wave of (culture) change and reaping the benefits in the form of happy, healthy customers. In a blog post published recently, we discussed the success Fauquier Hospital is having with it’s Bistro On The Hill, culinary healing garden, and person-centered care intitiatives. They are a wonderful example of the good that can happen when you put your patients’ happiness and health FIRST. When it comes to person-centered care don’t get left behind!
Posted in:Culture Change, Food Service
