National Patient Safety Foundation Proposes Universal Patie...( National initiative to strength...),Health

National initiative to strengthen provider-patient collaboration

NORTH ADAMS, Mass., March 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Recognizing the vital role that effective partnering plays in improving patient safety and health care quality, today the National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF) proposed the development of a Universal Patient Compact to complement the Consumer Bill of Rights and Responsibilities. The Universal Patient Compact will build on principles contained in the Consumer Bill of Rights to establish a mutual covenant between healthcare providers and their patients.

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While the Bill of Rights focuses on the patient perspective, the Compact is intended to focus on the relationship between the patient and the caregiver by creating an understanding between the parties about how they will work together. The Compact will describe the agreed upon commitments that all must make to provide a care process that is truly patient and family-centered and respects the rights of patients. As an example, while the patient's right to information will be spelled out, the caregiver's commitment to being honest and transparent with the patient will be stated in support of that goal.

"When the Consumer Bill of Rights was developed, it represented an important step in establishing the patient voice in health care," said Diane Pinakiewicz, President, NPSF. "This Compact is an evolution of that work and more reflective of what our system needs to focus on today, which is the manner in which the patient and the patient's caregivers work in partnership. True partnering and strengthened relationships are key to the delivery of safe and high quality care. The Universal Compact respects this and moves the patient voice to where it needs to be -- central to and integrated within the health care team -- rather than outsi
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