Patient- and Family-Centered Rounds: Partnering to Improve Care

For more than 30 years, patient- and family-centered care has influenced change and improvement in health care, especially pediatrics.^1,2  Foundational to this approach is the belief that authentic and meaningful partnerships with patients and their families are essential to quality and safety. In this issue, the study conducted by Khan and colleagues³  highlights the importance of partnering with families in family-centered rounds (FCR) or patient- and family-centered rounds (PFCR), whether in direct care, transitions in care, teaching the next generation of providers, or research.

In 2012, the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Committee on Hospital Care and the Institute for Patient- and Family-Centered Care collaborated in the development of a policy statement on patient- and family-centered care and the pediatrician’s role, which included a recommendation for implementing FCR based on studies revealing benefits for families, as well as clinicians, staff, residents, and medical students.⁴  In a...