Shall we Dance? Supporting the Partnership Between Patients, Families and Professionals
Patient Advisor, SheilaSheila, a PVN member in South Surrey/White Rock, attended "Shall we Dance? Supporting the Partnership Between Patients, Families and Professionals to Advance Safety, Quality and the Experience of Care." This event was hosted by the Canadian College of Health Leaders and featured Juliette Schlucter, a nationally recognized speaker, consultant, and advocate in the area of patient-centred care. Sheila found the event inspiring and informative, and talks about what resonated most with her.
The first thing that really struck me about Juliette Schlucter was not her credentials (though impressive) or even her demeanour (friendly and engaging). No, the first thing that really connected her to me was her story. And I wasn’t alone. As she told it, everybody at every table was leaning forward, transfixed, as she talked about her first contact with the health care system.
Juliette painted a picture of her journey: learning of her toddler’s devastating diagnosis (cystic fibrosis) while standing in a busy noisy hallway, thinking things like, “Why is there so much noise? I need a tissue! I can’t think! Where I can I find peace and quiet? I can’t believe this is happening…” Her very basic needs in the moment were unmet.
Another thing that kept me riveted to Juliette was the down-to-earth way she used her stories to show step-by-step how she worked with providers to make a difference for patients and families. She used a PowerPoint visual of a couple in a dance pose doing the Tango, and reminded us: “You need to know the steps.........and you need to trust your partner.”
She told us about her work with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the program she spearheaded where patients and families develop information tools for patients and staff. Patients and families also teach staff at orientation sessions what patient and family centered care really means.
Juliette spoke about barriers, like a sign on the doors to a treatment room that read “Absolutely no one beyond this point” while she was left standing in anguish while a nurse took her screaming, terrified child into the unknown. There was power in how she turned it around – not blaming, but working with providers to make changes. Families can now put on gowns and gloves and enter into previously sacred territory so they can be there to support their loved one.
And there is data coming out in support of true patient and family centred care. Data that shows infection rates going down, not up, and other improvements resulting from focussing on the patient and the family, not just the “system”.
Her final message? “Have you asked the patients and families?” is now embedded in all the work at CHOP. Her closing quote was, “Go fast, go alone. Go far, go together. “
I got your message Juliette. I can hardly wait to carry it forward!