Patients, Families, & Caregivers
Getting Started
Patients, Families & Caregivers play a critical role in transforming our nation’s healthcare. A patient has a voice for letting the practice understand not only your health care needs but other challenges you may have, such as transportation, access to food or work hours. When the clinical practice understands these personal factors, they may be able to change their processes to better support your needs and the needs of other patients.
Top Five
Ways to Get Involved in Improving Clinical Practice
- Ask your healthcare provider if there is a way for you to be involved in improving care. For example, ask if they have a patient-family advisory council.
- Come to the doctor’s appointment prepared. Bring a notepad with questions, your medication list and any other pertinent personal healthcare information.
- Tell your care provider what your health goals are.
- Ask that a Care Partner of family member be present and engaged for all conversations about your health.
- Let your care team know how you like to receive information.
“The care of a disease may be entirely impersonal; the care of the patient must be completely personal. The clinical picture is not just a photograph of a person in bed; it is an impressionistic painting of the person surrounded by his home, his work, his relations, his friends, his joys, his sorrows, hopes and fears.”
- Francis Peabody, Care of the Patient, JAMA, 1927
Resources by Topic
Improve your Health Literacy
Shared-Decision Making with Providers
Choosing Wisely, ABIM Foundation | October 2019
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Peer Support
November 2019
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Join Research Teams
IPFCC | October 2019
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Join a Patient & Family Advisory Board
University of Boston, U.S. National Library of Medicine, CommunicateHealth, Inc. | October 2019
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Make the Most of Medical Visits
University of Boston, U.S. National Library of Medicine, CommunicateHealth, Inc. | October 2019
Choosing Wisely, ABIM Foundation | October 2019
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Managing Medications
American Academy of Pediatrics | October 2019
Get Started Here! PCPCC Bite Size Learning Modules | October 2019
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Understanding the Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) Model
American Academy of Pediatrics | October 2019
Patient Portals: How can they impact primary care? | September 2019
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