AHRQ Releases Free Resources to Engage Patients, Families in Care
One constant in nursing practice is time and how nurses never have enough of it. Between a full schedule of patient visits, consulting with coworkers, administering treatments, and the myriad other responsibilities filling a nurse’s day, nurses can struggle to address all of a patient's concerns in the time leftover. Nurses must be adept at balancing their time and multitasking in their duties.
To help streamline patient care efforts and enable cancer care teams to get the most out of their limited time together, the Agency for Health Resources and Quality (AHRQ) developed several patient and provider toolkits (https://www.ahrq.gov/professionals/quality-patient-safety/patient-family-engagement/index.html). Broken down by setting, profession, and role, the free toolkits cover topics such as quality and safety, hospital discharge, and ways patients can care for themselves after leaving the hospital.
The toolkits are organized into the following broad categories:
- Hospital Staff
- Family-Centered Rounds Toolkit
- Guide to Patient and Family Engagement
- Informed Consent Training Module
- Patients and Families in the Hospital
- Taking Care of Myself: Leaving the Hospital
- Staying Active and Healthy With Blood Thinners
- Medical Office Staff
- Patient Safety in Primary Care
- Improving Lab Testing Process
- Patients and Families in Medical Offices
- Waiting Room Video
- Tips for Patients
- Next Steps After Diagnosis
- Long-Term Care Facility Staff
- Educate and Engage Residents and Family Members
- Ambulatory Surgery Center Staff
- Patient and Family Engagement
- Patients and Families in the Ambulatory Surgery Center
Patient-centered care is a staple for ONS and oncology nursing, especially considering the role of shared-decision making in practice (https://voice.ons.org/news-and-views/how-shared-decision-making-affects-cancer-care). With support from federal agencies like AHRQ, providers can access and share crucial resources with their patients. As patients become savvier, nurses must continue to find ways to engage them in their care and include them as part of the healthcare team.