"Everything we say and do that affects our patients' thoughts, feelings and well-being" defines the patient experience, and hospitalists—the "we" in the definition created by SHM's Patient Experience Committee—are the link between optimal experiences and successful outcomes.
Regularly demonstrating empathy, concern, caring and thoroughness – behaviors that patients characterize as ideal physician behaviors – can be challenging in the hospital environment. But with mindfulness and motivation, hospitalists can take the lead in integrating these skills into their daily practice, while encouraging colleagues to do the same.
In collaboration with hospitalists and patients through its Patient and Family Advisory Council, SHM develops resources that support hospital teams in building patient-centered cultures.
Improving Hospital Outcomes through Patient Engagement: The i-HOPE Study
SHM’s I-HOPE Stakeholder Committee has partnered with patients and other stakeholders to improve the care and experiences of hospitalized patients through generating a patient-centered research agenda and creating a network of stakeholder collaborators.
These resources can be used by patients, stakeholders, advocacy groups and researchers.
Spotlight: SHM’s Resources for Improving Patient Experiences
“Everything We Say and Do” is an informational series in The Hospitalist, SHM's official publication, to provide readers with thoughtful and actionable communication tactics that have great potential to positively impact patients’ experience of care.
“The 5 R’s of Cultural Humility” is a simple, universal framework to provide a foundation for strengthening communication skills and raising awareness of the basic tenets of cultural humility.
