{"id":10249,"date":"2017-04-27T10:01:26","date_gmt":"2017-04-27T16:01:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=10249"},"modified":"2020-01-22T16:39:48","modified_gmt":"2020-01-22T23:39:48","slug":"spreading-confidence-and-trust","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/spreading-confidence-and-trust\/","title":{"rendered":"Spreading confidence and trust"},"content":{"rendered":"
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From his upbringing to his experiences as a young man in the military, the importance of confidence and trust in another has become a principle for Doug Kettelson.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are big words that hold a lot of weight,\u201d Kettelson said.<\/p>\n

Never were those principles more important than they were five years ago, when Kettelson had his first stroke and found himself at UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies<\/a> in Loveland. Having a stroke is frustrating, and Kettelson admitted that he probably wasn\u2019t the ideal patient. \u201cMy own dog probably would have avoided me,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

A week after his first stroke, Kettelson had another one. This time it affected his speech.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was so frustrating,\u201d he said. \u201cI could form a thought in my head, but I couldn\u2019t get it out. Everyone here (at MCR) was so patient waiting for me to speak. I could see the stress on my wife\u2019s (Dianne) face. So many times it\u2019s not the patient suffering but the family. Dianne was taken care of just as well as I was.\u201d<\/p>\n

At MCR, he saw the principles he cherishes – confidence and trust in one another \u2013 from care givers. As a way to show his gratitude and ensure that all patients have a similar experience, Kettelson and his wife joined MCR\u2019s Patient and Family Advisory Council.<\/p>\n

PFAC\u2019s mission is to promote and support patient- and family-centered values by personalizing, humanizing and demystifying the health care experience. PFAC members help UCHealth realize its goal of patient-centric care by involving patients and their families in processes and communications.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey help us live out one of our values: patients first,\u201d said Isaac Sisneros, UCHealth\u2019s patient experience program manager for northern Colorado.<\/p>\n

\"Four
From left, Dianne and Doug Kettelson, members of the MCR Patient and Family Advisory Council, with registered nurse Tara Shaw, UCHealth’s manager of Cancer Care in northern Colorado, and MCR Chaplain Don Orwick during October’s Patient Centered Care Awareness month.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There are PFACs throughout UCHealth\u2019s hospitals, including a few unit-specific councils, such as that of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Poudre Valley Hospital<\/a>. That newly formed council was instrumental in the new design of the NICU, which opened in early 2016 and almost tripled in size. The council provided vital feedback to improve experiences for families of UCHealth\u2019s tiniest patients, such as the addition of milk storage refrigerators and sinks in each room.<\/p>\n

Former patients and their families represent about two-thirds of each PFAC, while the other third is made up of staff. They all share the common goal: to include the patient and family perspective and positively impact the patient experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a community member of our PFAC, you represent the voice of the patient,\u201d said Kelli Dunn, registered nurse and chair of the MCR PFAC. \u201cYou have an opportunity to share unique perspectives and valuable feedback regarding the patient experience. Your voice makes a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stop by an UCHealth hospital to learn more about how you can participate in a patient-family-centered council<\/strong>.<\/p>\n