In October, hundreds of physicians and health-care providers formally adopted the concept of practicing patient-focused care by taking the inaugural Patient-Focused Care Pledge instituted by the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP). This is the first time a specialty medical society has undertaken an initiative of this kind. The Patient-Focused Care Pledge was introduced as part of the Convocation Ceremony at CHEST 2003, the international scientific assembly of the ACCP, held October 25-30, in Orlando, Florida. With support from other health-care organizations, the ACCP will utilize the Pledge as the foundation for an initiative specifically designed to develop interdisciplinary models of patient-focused care for use in hospitals, health-care systems, and health-care education programs around the country.
Richard S. Irwin, MD, FCCP, President of the American College of Chest Physicians commented, “As medical professionals, we have been listening to the concerns of our patients, patient advocacy organizations, and government institutions regarding the deficiencies of modern American medicine. And in this time, we have seen our patients lose faith in their physicians, insurance companies, and the health-care industry as a whole... We are in the midst of a health-care revolution, and it is time for all who provide health care to practice patient-focused care and recapture the respect and goodwill of the American public. Although our Pledge will not change the attitudes of health-care providers, patients, and the American public overnight, it is just the beginning of a larger objective to ensure that every patient, every family, and every human being receive the best possible medical care.”
The Pledge is the ACCP's reaction to reports issued by the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine, patient advocacy groups, and medical institutions that indicate the health-care industry is in a rapid decline, citing:
- rising health-care costs,
- medical mistakes,
- the growing uninsured population,
- racial inequalities in patient care,
- reimbursement challenges,
- the critical care work force shortage, and
- other medical care industry deficiencies.
The Patient-Focused Care Pledge:
- emphasizes the health-care provider’s role as a patient advocate,
- underscores the provider’s responsibility to provide patient-focused care whenever and wherever he or she cares for patients, and
- emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary patient care and the elements of lifelong learning and continuous quality improvement for all health-care providers.
The American College of Chest Physicians Patient-Focused Care Pledge:
"I will strive to provide patient-focused care wherever and whenever I have the privilege of caring for patients. I will also work to ensure that all health-care systems in which I provide care are patient-focused. Patient-focused care is compassionate, sensitive to the everyday and special needs of patients and their families, and based upon the best available evidence. It is interdisciplinary, safe, and monitored. To ensure the provision of patient-focused care in my professional environments, I shall willingly embrace the concepts of lifelong learning and continuous quality improvement."
Dorrie Fontaine, RN, DNSc, FAAN, President of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) said, “This important initiative driven by our partners and colleagues at the ACCP is a call to all physicians, nurses, and other critical care professionals that our practice must continue to be centered around patient and family needs, even in these turbulent times for health care,” ... Escalating financial pressures and alarming workforce shortages make it imperative that physicians and nurses actively work together to establish new patient-focused practice models. The combined efforts of the AACN and the ACCP will establish a strong leadership force in effecting meaningful change in our hospitals and heath systems on behalf of the critically ill patients we serve."
In addition to ACCP and AACN leaders, health-care professionals from seven leading medical societies recited the Pledge, symbolizing their commitment to providing patient-focused care in their areas of practice. ACCP members will be invited to take the Pledge each year to remind them of their responsibility to patients and will encourage other medical societies and health-care institutions to adopt the Pledge.
Resources:
Medical Professionals Embrace Patient-Focused Care Revolution. Newswise. October 26, 2003.
