Frampton SB, Charmel P, Planetree (editors)
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers; 2008

The second edition highlights what the Planetree organization and Planetree facilities have learned about being truly patient-centered, including the commitments, conditions, practices, and policies needed to create healing environments and reform health care. Chapter 13, co-authored by IHI Senior Vice President Jim Conway, focuses on integrating quality and safety with patient-centered care.

Steefel L. Strong roots: Oregon hospital a pioneer in patient-centered Planetree concept. Nurse.com; June 16, 2008.

A small rural hospital creates a more healing environment for patients and families using the Planetree model. Planetree is a growing movement to transform the health care experience by considering every aspect from the patient’s perspective.

Johnson B, Abraham M, Conway J, Simmons L, Edgman-Levitan S, Sodomka P, Schlucter J, Ford D. Partnering with Patients and Families to Design a Patient- and Family-Centered Health Care System: Recommendations and Promising Practices. Bethesda, Maryland: Institute for Family-Centered Care and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement; April 2008.

This publication, with funding support from the California HealthCare Foundation, highlights examples of best practices from hospitals, ambulatory programs, medical and nursing schools, funders of health care, patient- and family-led organizations, and other health care entities. These organizations are making exemplary progress in partnering with patients and families to enhance quality and safety and to improve the experience of care. The key recommendations emerged from a unique meeting convened by the Institute for Family-Centered Care in collaboration with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation [see Partnering with Patients and Families to Design a Patient- and Family-Centered Health Care System: A Roadmap for the Future].

Advancing the Practice of Patient- and Family-Centered Care How to Get Started. Bethesda, Maryland: Institute for Family-Centered Care; 2008.

Bringing the perspectives of patients and families directly into the planning, delivery, and evaluation of health care — thereby improving its quality and safety — is what patient- and family-centered care is all about. Many hospitals, however, question how to link it with their overall mission and how to get started. This document provides answers to some of these commonly asked questions; outlines steps for getting started; provides assessment tools; and lists select resources.

Earp JL, French EA, Gilkey MB
Boston, Massachusetts: Jones & Bartlett Publishers; 2007

With a focus on the consumer's perspective, this book identifies patient advocacy as a potentially effective way to initiate needed changes in US health care. This introductory volume synthesizes patient advocacy from a multi-level approach and is a relevant text for students in schools of public health, nursing, and social work.

Freeman HP. A model patient navigation program. Oncology Issues. 2004 Sept/Oct;19:44-46.

This article describes the origins of the patient navigation model first developed by Dr. Harold Freeman at Harlem Hospital in New York. His Patient Navigator Program assigns personal guides to help disadvantaged cancer patients and their families navigate the cancer treatment process and overcome health disparities obstacles that may limit their access to quality care. While the model was based on breast cancer care, the concept of patient navigation can be applied to the care of patients with other diseases.

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Joseph A. Health Promotion by Design in Long-Term Care Settings. Concord, California: The Center for Health Design. August 2006.

This research report presents findings from more than 250 articles published in peer-reviewed journals that assess the relationship between physical environmental factors and resident and staff outcomes in different types of long-term care settings — skilled-nursing facilities, assisted-living settings, special-care units, and independent-living facilities.

Joseph A. The Impact of Light on Outcomes in Healthcare Settings. Concord, California: The Center for Health Design. August 2006; Issue Paper #2.

This research paper examines the effects of light on human health and performance, and reviews the literature linking light (daylight and artificial light) with health outcomes in

health care settings.

Wojcieszak D, Banja J, Houk C. The Sorry Works! Coalition: Making the case for full disclosure. Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety. Jun 2006;32(6):344-350.

The Sorry Works! Coalition, an organization of doctors, lawyers, insurers, and patient advocates, is dedicated to promoting full disclosure and apologies for medical errors as a "middle-ground solution" in the medical liability crisis. If a standard of care was not met (as shown by a root cause analysis) in a bad outcome or adverse event, the providers (and their insurer) should apologize to the patient/family, admit fault, provide an explanation of what happened and how the hospital will ensure that the error is not repeated, and offer compensation. The Sorry Works! protocol is based on the disclosure program developed at the Department of Veterans Affairs Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky.

Mazor KM, Reed GW, Yood RA, et al. Disclosure of medical errors: What factors influence how patients respond? Journal of General Internal Medicine. Jul 2006;21(7):704-710.

This study sought to determine whether full disclosure, an existing positive physician-patient relationship, an offer to waive associated costs, and the severity of the clinical outcome influenced patients' responses to medical errors.