The effectiveness of patient advisory councils varies. The director of a solutions-oriented patient advocacy at a suburban Chicago hospital offers tips on creating engaged and effective patient advisory groups.
Patient advisory committees can steer hospitals and health systems toward providing patient-centered care and achieving outcomes such as higher HCAHPS scores, stronger reputation, and improved quality and safety ratings.
But these groups can differ in effectiveness. Some are able to create meaningful solutions that influence organizational outcomes, while others get stuck in silos or see no action on their suggestions.
One organization that has had success with its patient advisory committee is Elmhurst (IL) Hospital. Since the creation of its advisory committee in 2009, the 259-bed suburban Chicago hospital has leveraged the group's feedback to design and build a new hospital campus, achieve Planetree designation, and continuously improve policies, procedures, and processes.
Joanne Muzzey, RN, MHA, director of patient advocacy and Planetree at Elmhurst, has overseen the group since its inception and has some advice on getting the best results from a patient advisory council.
1. Know Where to Find Members
Finding people who are willing to volunteer their time is not always easy, but organizations may already have a treasure trove of potential members among patients who have made complaints.
"When we started our council, we looked back at a database of patient complaints," Muzzey says. "We went back over a year's worth and selected about 20 or 30 that we knew would have some valuable feedback."
Suggestions from department managers can also be fruitful since they can identify patients who have frequent experiences on specific units.
By using those two lists, Muzzey and her colleagues were able to identify about 40 people to invite to an informational session on the advisory committee. After the presentation, 20 patients expressed interest in participating and filled out a brief application. By the time the inaugural meeting was held, there were about 13 patients ready to be active members.
Unlike some patient advisory committees that rotate members every two years, Elmhurst does not set a limit on how long a member can serve. Instead, members are replaced as slots become open through natural attrition.
"It was important to us to have the history of where we came from to recognize how we've really transformed over the years," Muzzey says.
2. Consider Member Demographics
One challenge in creating a patient advisory committee is assuring diversity of membership.
"You're going to end up with more females and that younger middle-age to Baby
Boomer-age group," Muzzey says about patient advisory councils in general.
She tries to look for patients who come from the different geographic areas the organization serves as well as those who represent the continuum of care.
"Outpatient vs. inpatient vs. ED so at least they're bringing that different perspective," she says.
3. Start with Tangible Projects
Projects with tangible outcomes can help promote engagement and enthusiasm, especially among a new advisory group. "Those very visual, hands-on pieces help," Muzzey says, "They can see that their feedback [has had an] effect."
Elmhurst's patient advisory council was integrally involved in designing the new hospital campus which opened in 2012.
"When we were building the new campus we were asking them for feedback on everything from furniture to room service menus to beds," Muzzey says.
The group even test drove potential critical care beds during a meeting. Even though the purchase put it slightly over budget, the organization purchased the beds because of the council's feedback.
4. Demonstrate Strong Leadership Support
"Just like everything, you have to have that senior leadership support," Muzzey says.
Muzzey reports directly to Elmhurst's CNO Pamela Dunley and provides monthly reports from the council. Dunley has also asked for council feedback prior to making decisions, such as whether it was OK to eliminate white boards in patient rooms at the new hospital campus.
The council members were adamant about keeping them, so sleek, glass models were installed at the new campus.
Muzzey also recommends including leaders such as managers and department directors as guests at meetings so they can share and receive feedback from the group.
Jennifer Thew, RN, is the senior nursing editor at HealthLeaders.