Within the context of health care reform within the US, a growing emphasis on engaging patients and families in their own health care has emerged. In July 2013, the US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality posted their “Guide to Patient and Family Engagement in Hospital Safety and Quality.” The guide explores barriers and facilitators related to patient and family engagement behaviors, particularly around safety and quality. It also identifies strategies at the hospital level and individual level to promote patient and family engagement in care, such as bedside rounds with patients, family members, and care providers; bedside nursing shift reports; and the use of patient and family advisory councils. Better communication among patients, families, and health care professionals improves communication and enhances patient safety in the process. Contributors to the guide included the Institute for Patient and Family Centered Care, the Joint Commission, Consumers Advancing Patient Safety, the Health Research and Educational Trust, and others with expertise in patient and family engagement. The guide is available at www.ahrq.gov/research/findings/final-reports/ptfamilyscan/index.html. For a video of Dr. Jeff Brady, Associate Director of AHRQ’s Center for Quality Improvement and Safety, discussing the guide, visit: www.youtube.com/watch?v=INzhyhY3e5E&feature=youtu.be&noredirect=1.
