Adapting and responding to a pandemic: Patient and family advisory councils in children\u27s hospitals during COVID-19

This mixed-methods study investigated the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on Patient and Family Advisory Councils (PFACs) within children’s hospitals in the United States. Specifically, the study sought to understand how PFACs adapted operations as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, how patient and family advisors (PFAs) were engaged in the response to COVID-19, and the intersection of the COVID-19 pandemic with PFAC diversity, equity, and inclusion. The study consisted of a survey distributed to 228 children’s hospitals, with a 73% response rate, and in-depth interviews with selected survey respondents (n=12). While COVID-19 temporarily disrupted PFAC operations and forced rapid adaptations, most children’s hospital PFACs transitioned successfully to virtual meetings, with 86% reporting that their PFAC met at least once from March to December 2020 and 84% indicating that their PFAC planned to meet as frequently or more frequently than before the pandemic. The majority of respondents (72%) reported that attendance at virtual PFAC meetings was the same as or better than with in-person meetings. Interview participants reported benefits associated with virtual meetings, including the potential ability to recruit and engage PFAs who better reflected the diversity of the patients and families served by the hospitals. Children’s hospitals are well-positioned to be leaders in the field, contributing to the development of new approaches, lessons learned, and best practices moving forward. This is especially true as hospitals continue to navigate the evolving realities of the COVID-19 pandemic, and as PFACs address challenges associated with maintaining diverse, equitable, and inclusive councils. Experience Framework This article is associated with the Patient, Family & Community Engagement lens of The Beryl Institute Experience Framework (https://www.theberylinstitute.org/ExperienceFramework). Access other PXJ articles related to this lens. Access other resources related to this lens

The intersection of diversity, equity, and inclusion with pediatric Patient and Family Advisory Councils

Patient and family advisory councils (PFACs) advance patient- and family-centered care within children’s hospitals but may not reflect the diversity of the communities they serve. We sought to assess PFAC diversity among children’s hospitals and explore barriers, drivers, and enablers of recruitment, retention, and engagement of patient and family advisors (PFAs) with diverse perspectives and backgrounds. We performed a mixed methods study to evaluate structure, composition, recruitment, and engagement strategies of children’s hospital PFACs. Individuals likely to have knowledge of or responsibility for PFACs at each Children’s Hospital Association (CHA) member hospital were asked to complete an electronic questionnaire. A subset of respondents from hospitals varying in size and region participated in 1-hour virtual interviews. We received valid responses from 166 (73%) of 228 CHA member hospitals. Eighty-eight percent reported having at least one PFAC. Only 21% selected “definitely true” when asked if their PFACs reflected the racial and ethnic diversity of the community served. Twelve respondents from various children’s hospitals participated in qualitative interviews. Five themes emerged: 1) Importance of Diversity in PFAC Membership; 2) Targeted, Personalized Recruitment and Engagement Strategies Facilitate Diverse PFACs; 3) Importance of Supporting PFAs from Diverse Backgrounds; 4) Ample Opportunities to Engage PFAs in Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Efforts; and 5) External Factors as Drivers for Change within PFACs. Many PFACs are working to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion, but opportunities to close gaps remain. Findings may inform strategies to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion within PFACs across hospital systems. Experience Framework This article is associated with the Patient, Family & Community Engagement lens of The Beryl Institute Experience Framework (https://www.theberylinstitute.org/ExperienceFramework). Access other PXJ articles related to this lens. Access other resources related to this lens

Sociodemographic characteristics and patient and family experience survey response biases

Enhancing Patient and Family Experience (PFE) is vital to the delivery of quality healthcare services. Sociodemographic differences affect health outcomes and experiences, but research is limited on biases in PFE survey methodology. We sought to assess survey participation rates across sociodemographic characteristics. This retrospective study analyzed a health system’s ambulatory PFE survey data, collected January 1 – July 31, 2019. Outcomes of interest were rates of survey response, completion, and comments. Predictors included respondent-reported race, ethnicity, language, and measure of social deprivation attached to a respondent’s home address. Addresses were geocoded to census tracts. The tract’s degree of socioeconomic deprivation was defined using the Deprivation Index (DPI). Associations between outcomes and predictors were assessed using the Chi square test. 77,627 unique patient encounters were analyzed. Patients were predominantly White (76%); 5% were Hispanic; and 1% were Spanish-speaking. The overall response, completion, and comment rates were 20.1%, 17.6%, and 4.1%, respectively. There were significant differences across assessed sociodemographic characteristics in response, completion, and comment rates. White patients were most likely to respond, complete, and leave a comment. Spanish-speaking respondents and those living in the most deprived areas were more likely to respond and complete the survey, but less likely to comment than English-speaking respondents and those living in less deprived areas, respectively. PFE survey participation differs across a range of sociodemographic characteristics, potentially introducing noteworthy biases. Health systems should minimize differences in how they collect feedback and account for potential biases when responding to experience data. Experience Framework This article is associated with the Policy & Measurement lens of The Beryl Institute Experience Framework. (https://www.theberylinstitute.org/ExperienceFramework). Access other PXJ articles related to this lens. Access other resources related to this lens

Effects of a Curriculum Addressing Racism on Pediatric Residents' Racial Biases and Empathy.

BackgroundRacism is a longstanding driver of health inequities. Although medical education is a potential solution to address racism in health care, best practices remain unknown.ObjectiveWe sought to evaluate the impact of participation in a curriculum addressing racism on pediatric residents' racial biases and empathy.MethodsA pre-post survey study was conducted in 2 urban, university-based, midsized pediatric residency programs between July 2019 and June 2020. The curriculum sessions included Self-Reflection on Implicit Bias, Historical Trauma, and Structural Racism. All sessions were paired with empathy and perspective-taking exercises and were conducted in small groups to facilitate reflective discussion. Wilcoxon signed rank tests were used to assess changes in racial bias and empathy. Linear regression was used to assess the effect of resident characteristics on racial bias and empathy.ResultsNinety of 111 residents receiving the curriculum completed pre-surveys (81.1%), and among those, 65 completed post-surveys (72.2%). Among participants with baseline pro-White bias, there was a statistically significant shift (0.46 to 0.36, P=.02) toward no preference. Among participants with a baseline pro-Black bias, there was a statistically significant shift (-0.38 to -0.21, P=.02), toward no preference. Among participants with baseline pro-White explicit bias, there was a statistically significant shift (0.54 to 0.30, P<.001) toward no preference. Among all residents, there was a modest but statistically significant decrease in mean empathy (22.95 to 22.42, P=.03).ConclusionsParticipation in a longitudinal discussion-based curriculum addressing racism modestly reduced pediatric residents' racial preferences with minimal effects on empathy scales

Increasing Physical Exam Teaching on Family-Centered Rounds Utilizing a Web-Based Tool.

INTRODUCTION: Millennial trainees prefer innovative, multimodal education on topics including the physical exam (PE). Attendings inconsistently meet these needs on family-centered rounds. To enhance PE teaching, a Web site (PEToolkit) was created, but its use was infrequent. We aimed to increase PEToolkit use from 2 to 5 page counts per week in 7 months. METHODS: This quality improvement project took place at a large academic center in 1 Hospital Medicine team. Key drivers informed interventions, and an annotated run chart tracked progress. We tracked secondary measures, including changes in perception of teaching skill among attendings and resident-observed methods of PE teaching, through survey methodology. RESULTS: Median page counts increased to 5 counts per week in 7 months. The most impactful interventions included training senior residents to teach with the PEToolkit Web site and team feedback on Web site usage midweek. Survey responses from 37 attendings showed that those with more exposure to PEToolkit had increased self-perceived skill of PE teaching (P = 0.02). Survey responses from 52 residents showed that those on the intervention team reported more use of video for PE teaching (P < 0.001) and higher frequency of PE teaching (P = 0.02), compared with those on the nonintervention team. CONCLUSIONS: We increased PEToolkit Web site use during family-centered rounds, thereby emphasizing the importance of PE teaching in this setting in an innovative way. Engagement of learners, frequent feedback, and coaching should be considered when incorporating technology in teaching