Putting Patients First

Jenni Barnett, (right) a member of the Patient and Family Advisory Council, sits with her sister-in-law, Allyson Barnett, a current Enloe Health patient.

Enloe Health patients put lots of confidence in their care teams. But that doesn’t mean they don’t have a voice to effect change in Enloe procedures and infrastructure.

That was the inspiration for the Patient and Family Advisory Council, or PFAC, at Enloe Health. Former or current Enloe patients, their care partners, and Enloe caregivers make up the committee and meet once a month to better understand issues from the patient’s point of view.

Members work together to help humanize and demystify health care, and they serve as goodwill ambassadors for Enloe Health in the community, representing Enloe’s mission, vision, and values.

Kristina Bruns, RN, Manager of the Planetree Program at Enloe Health, oversees PFAC. Planetree, an organization that seeks to instill compassion and empathy in health care, has long recognized Enloe’s efforts in fulfilling these philosophies. PFAC goes far in accomplishing this. The council gives patients a voice “in the design process,” she said.

Jenni Barnett of Chico has only been a member for a few months. She cares for her disabled sister-in-law, Allyson Barnett — a current Enloe patient and Chico resident.

“PFAC gave me a lot of insights into the hospital and offered a lot of explanations regarding human-centered care,” she said. “This is important to me because I’m a caregiver and my sister-in-law is nonverbal.”

Shannon Hester, Planetree Program Analyst, joins Bruns in coordinating PFAC — and recruited Barnett, her sister, to join. Barnett immediately recognized the value Bruns, Hester and the entire Enloe organization place on the group as it furthers person-centered care practices.

“The acknowledgment from Kristina and Shannon in the meetings show they care, and they give our opinions a lot of weight,” Barnett said. “Shannon was taking notes on what members requested. A lot of people in there were making their opinions known and were validated in that.”

Taking Action

The council seeks to expand its representation to meet the diverse demographics of the community, including cultural and ethnic representation, as well as varying age groups.

“We want to ensure all stakeholders — patients, care partners and Enloe caregivers — from all backgrounds are involved in this process,” Bruns said.

Council members, Bruns said, “bring up topics of concern that can be improved for person-centered care.”

Current projects include simplifying the patient handbook, which now has a multitude of informational papers inside a folder, she said.

The council also worked on the patient menu, resulting in more available options, and collaborated with Enloe leadership to install device chargers in the medical center and to add a relaxation channel on patient room televisions. These have increased patient comfort and enjoyment.

“The philosophy is to co-design with the community. Enloe wants engagement, and we’re actively recruiting people who’ll represent Enloe’s five-county service area,” Hester said. “We really want the community to hear Enloe cares about what they think and wants their direct involvement.”

Want to Get Involved?

Apply to become a PFAC member. To be considered, you must live within the Enloe service area, be a former or current patient utilizing Enloe services, or be a care partner of a current or former patient. Learn more at www.enloe.org/pfac.