‘One Voice’ concept puts patients and families on the health care team
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new program at Wilmington Hospital’s Acute Care of the Elderly (ACE) unit has patients, families and care providers working together to achieve optimum patient care. The “One Voice” program is based on the concept of integrating patients and their families into the health care team. The ACE unit, with its large number of patients with adult children who are deeply concerned about their parents’ care, was a natural place to inaugurate the program. “Our emphasis has been on
improving communication,” says Janine Jordan, M.D., physician advisor in the Office of Quality and Patient Safety. Last fall, a team from Christiana Care traveled to the Medical College of Georgia to study its program, and staff training began in January 2009. Natural team building “We put systems into place so patients and families know what’s going on with their care at all times,” says Paula Tomanovich, RN, BSN, BC, nurse manager of the ACE unit. “We’re finding that making patients and families
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As a member of his own health care team, Wilmington campus ACE unit patient Richard H. Hurst talks to Elvina Kipoto, RN (right), and Samantha Eannone, RN, about “how the patient is doing.” C O N T I N U E D N E X T PAG E