Treating Patients with C.A.R.E.

Healthcare providers across all specialties and roles face continual pressures and challenges ensuring optimal patient care and satisfaction. Patients have better health outcomes when good interactions with staff encourage them to adhere to treatment plans and follow up with care. Patient satisfaction is significantly enhanced when staff member communicate effectively with patients. Many organizations are under-resourced and present systemic and cultural barriers to optimal communication. In addition, patients may be experiencing pain and anxiety and may vent their frustrations on healthcare staff. From the patients perspective, every person employed by the healthcare organization contributes to the care experience. Every employee has opportunities to make that experience productive and pleasant. This half-day workshop enhances individual providers ‘and staff member’ abilities to communicate with patients and with one another in ways that promoted health. Treating Patients With C.A.R.E. workshop provides evidence-based skills to help the members of healthcare teams meet their patients’ needs and work together more effectively as teams.

Audience

Treating Patients with C.A.R.E. is open to clinicians and non-clinical support staff members and supervisors. Workshops can accommodate 8-24 learners to ensure individualized attention and optimal small group learning.

Content
Treating Patients with C.A.R.E. provides a conceptual model and specific techniques that guide all staff members, anyone who comes in contact with patients to communicate in ways that will enhance satisfaction and encourage patient partnership. Participants use their own experiences in health care to identify staff actions that make a difference. Essential skills are organize into a four-point model: Connect, Appreciate, Respond, and Empower (C.A.R.E.)

Learning Objectives
By the end of this workshop participants will be able to:
1.       Describe what is meant by C.A.R.E.
2.       Discuss our organization’s Healthcare Service Standards and how they relate to C.A.R.E.
3.       Describe ways for using C.A.R.E. on the job to deliver impressive healthcare service.

Methodology
This workshop consists of brief presentations, interactive exercises, videotaped case studies and skills practice to build learner awareness, knowledge, skills and confidence regarding communication. Case example frame realistic issues involving patients and families. Experiential learning activities are key to the effectiveness of the workshop. Exercises are graduated from personal experiences as a patient, through application of skill via videotaped case situations, to realistic application and safe simulated exercises. All learners are encouraged and expected to participate fully in the exercises. At the end of the workshop, learners are asked to commit to implement two C.A.R.E. communication skills and then to evaluate the outcomes associated with these approaches.