Introduction
Patient and family advisory councils have long been a staple in hospitals, providing invaluable feedback to improve patient care. However, their role is expanding beyond hospital walls as health IT vendors recognize the importance of patient insights in designing and developing healthcare technologies. This blog explores how health IT vendors use PFACs to enhance their products and services, ensuring they meet the needs of patients and healthcare providers alike.
Understanding Patient Family Advisory Councils
PFACs offer a platform for patients, family members, and caregivers to share their experiences and provide feedback to healthcare organizations. According to the Institute for Patient- and Family-Centered Care (IPFCC), Patient and family advisory council members bring unique perspectives that guide research projects and healthcare strategies. Traditionally, PFACs have been integral to hospitals, helping them prioritize patient-centered care by incorporating authentic patient feedback into their operations.
The Role of PFACs in Health IT
With the digital transformation of healthcare, there’s a growing suite of tools designed to serve patients, such as patient portals and online appointment scheduling systems. Health IT vendors are now hosting Patient and family advisory councils to gain user insights, helping them design more effective and user-friendly technologies. By incorporating patient feedback, these vendors can make necessary improvements that enhance the overall patient experience.
Health IT Vendors Creating PFACs
Health IT companies face unique challenges in accessing patient voices during the design and development process. Unlike hospitals, vendors are not directly selling to patients but to healthcare providers. Despite this, some vendors have started creating their PFACs to bridge this gap. For example, Epic has a Patient and family advisory council as part of its efforts to incorporate patient feedback into its development process.
Karen Conley, DNP, RN, who heads the PFAC at Kyruus Health, highlights the importance of this approach. Her team’s experience in healthcare systems allows them to understand the value of PFACs in improving patient engagement technologies. PFACs can assess various aspects of technology, from usability to accessibility, ensuring it meets the diverse needs of patients.
PFAC Onboarding and Education
Supporting Patient and family advisory council members is crucial for health IT vendors. Patients and family members involved in PFACs may be experts in their healthcare experiences but may lack expertise in health IT. Vendors like Kyruus provide comprehensive orientations to educate PFAC members about their products and strategies. This approach helps PFAC members contribute effectively during meetings.
Denean Greene Rivers, a Kyruus PFAC member, appreciates the thorough onboarding process, which includes a crash course on the company’s background, mission, and products. This preparation allows PFAC members to provide meaningful feedback that can shape the development of health IT solutions.
Diversifying Patient Insights Through Representative PFACs
To gain diverse patient perspectives, health IT vendors must build representative PFACs. A broad range of patient backgrounds ensures that the feedback received is comprehensive and reflective of the wider patient population. Kyruus collaborates with Patient and Family Centered Care Partners to connect with patients and family caregivers nationwide, enriching their PFAC with diverse insights.
Epic emphasizes the importance of diverse patient feedback for its globally used patient-facing tool, MyChart. By meeting with Patient and family advisory councils from various health systems and conducting on-site immersions, Epic’s developers gain a deeper understanding of the typical patient experience. This approach ensures that the technologies developed are inclusive and effective for all users.
PFAC Insights in Action
The impact of Patient and family advisory councils on health IT development is significant. For instance, Kyruus’ PFAC helped refine the display of quality scores on provider profiles, making them more understandable for patients. Epic’s Patient and family advisory councils have similarly influenced the design and usability of their technologies, leading to more intuitive and accessible tools.
Receiving quality patient feedback is essential for health IT vendors. By strategically engaging Patient and family advisory councils during different phases of development—research, design, and testing—vendors can ensure that the insights they receive are actionable and beneficial.
FAQs
1. What is a Patient Family Advisory Council?
A. It is a group of patients, family members, and caregivers who provide feedback and insights to healthcare organizations and health IT vendors, helping them improve patient care and develop better healthcare technologies.
2. How do health IT vendors use Patient Family Advisory Councils?
A. Health IT vendors use Patient Family Advisory Councils to gain patient feedback on their technologies. This feedback helps vendors design more user-friendly and effective tools that meet the needs of patients and healthcare providers.
3. Why is patient feedback important in health IT?
A. Patient feedback is crucial in health IT because it ensures that the technologies developed are intuitive, accessible, and effective for patients. By incorporating patient insights, vendors can improve the overall patient experience.
Conclusion
Health IT vendors are increasingly recognizing the value of Patient and family advisory councils in developing patient-centered technologies. By incorporating patient insights into their design and development processes, these vendors can create more effective and user-friendly tools that enhance the overall patient experience. The success of Patient and family advisory councils in health IT underscores the importance of patient feedback in driving healthcare innovation.
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