October 1, 2018: The Patient Care Delivery System (PCDS) describes how all members of the interprofessional team deliver patient and family centered care (PFCC) at Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital. PFCC is based on the knowledge that patients and families are best served when they are respected for their individual differences, are informed about their care and encouraged to participate at the level they choose. The PCDS is grounded in the tenets of Kristen Swanson’s “Theory of Caring” (Swanson 1991). Swanson describes caring as “a nurturing way of relating to a valued other toward whom one feels a personal sense of commitment and responsibility.” There is a fundamental belief in persons and their capability to make it through events and transitions and face a future with meaning. These are strong and powerful words that touch the very core of our I CARE Values and how we view our patients, their families, the community and each other. As healthcare providers, we believe in our patients, seek to understand their clinical condition, value them as a whole person, provide interventions that promote wellness and well-being and then evaluate the outcomes of our care.
I invite you to reflect on how you and your team incorporate Swanson’s Theory of Caring in your day to day practice and acknowledge these behaviors in others.
– Janet Leatherwood, CNO.
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