WHILE MANY HOSPITALS prepare resource guides to help patients
navigate their healthcare experience with confidence, the guides
are often lengthy and difficult to read. Frequently, patients who
are in physical pain or anxious about being in the hospital don't
have the time or energy to power through an entire manual to
locate key information.
In 2015, the PFAC—a group of 12 community advisors and five
hospital staff who meet regularly to advocate for patient-centered care
at LUH—read an article about patient checklists and immediately began
forming their own.
CRAFTED WITH CARE
"We wanted people to have scannable content, in list form, that they
could bring with them to the hospital," says June Berlinger, recent
Community Co-chair of PFAC. "Essentially, the My Hospital Checklist
gives people permission to be assertive, to ask proactive questions and
to stay in open communication with their health team."
When preparing the list, the committee looked at everything from
the tone of the words to font size to translation. They made use of both
sides of each page, offering content in both English and Spanish to best
serve the community.
After creating the list, the PFAC advisors met to decide where to
distribute it.
The committee looked both inside and outside the hospital for
distribution sites. They visited local doctor's offices, libraries,
recreation centers, community health centers, senior centers, support
groups and community groups—anywhere and everywhere local
residents were discussing health issues.
COMMUNITY FEEDBACK
From the beginning, the list has been met with enthusiasm and
appreciation.
"Patients couldn't get over its simplicity. In one page, they
were able to clearly have all the information they needed,"
Ms. Berlinger says. "This list is an awareness tool—and that's
exactly how it reads."
Most importantly, the checklist is written by the patient for the
patient. It's public health in action.
›
To review the entire PFAC checklist, visit luhcares.org/
Patients-Visitors/My-Hospital-Checklist.aspx. To make an
appointment with a physician, visit chpgprimarycare.org.
AT A GLANCE
My Hospital Checklist, organized into 15 steps, reminds
patients to:
• Bring the My Hospital Checklist to hospital as a resource
• Bring a list of all medications they're taking
• Have a personal representative with them
• Ask to review their medical record
• Ask follow-up questions about the main diagnosis
• Ask regularly, "How am I doing?"
• Follow up with treatment regularly
• Ask what they can do to speed their recovery
• Communicate any concerns about their care directly
to the nursing director
• Understand all discharge information and ask
follow-up questions
• Secure a phone number for follow-up questions
upon discharge
Most patients don't visit the hospital on a regular basis, so it can be stressful to receive care in an
unfamiliar place. To alleviate that stress, the Longmont United Hospital Patient and Family Advisory
Council (PFAC) developed the My Hospital Checklist to provide information about what to do and
questions to ask.
AN Advocacy Advocacy
6 / LONGMONT UNITED HOSPITAL SPRING 2017
