At IWK in Halifax, Family Presence Policy Helps to
“Maintain Sense of Normalcy”
While pregnant with her second
child, Catherine Gunn spent nine
weeks at the IWK Health Centre
in Halifax, then remained around
the clock when her newborn was
in the neonatal intensive care unit
(NICU). Every day, her husband
visited with their 20-month old
child. “It didn’t matter what time.
They brought a crib in and we
had family sleepovers. It was
just about maintaining some
sense of normalcy and keeping
us together,” she says.
Catherine Gunn knows firsthand the positive effect that
family presence policies can
have.. As a mother, she saw it
firsthand. And as co-chair of the
Family Leadership Council at the
IWK Health Centre, she’s a big
advocate of the hospital’s open
visiting policy.
“I think it reduces stress for patients and families, and overall
you get a better outcome,” says Gunn.
To encourage hospitals to create family presence policies,
the Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement
(CFHI) launched a campaign called the Better Together in
November 2015. The campaign promotes the benefits of
allowing designated family members to stay with the patient
at any hours, even 24/7.
This isn’t just a matter of being the right thing to do for
patients and families; it’s a quality improvement initiative,
says Jocelyn Vine, Vice President of Patient Care & Chief
Nurse Executive at the IWK Health Centre.
For example, the more that families are present, the greater
their understanding of how to help their loved ones to recover
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after discharge. The family’s confidence in supporting that
care and healing goes up to.
CFHI reports that family presence policies contribute to
better coordination of care; fewer medication errors; reduced
falls; and fewer 30-day readmissions. That’s on top of greater
patient and family satisfaction.
Today, 41 organizations have taken the Better Together
pledge, plus one province; Saskatchewan has adopted an
open family presence policy.
Family presence is front and centre at the IWK Health Centre,
the Maritimes’ leading health care and research institution
dedicated to the well-being of women, children, youth and
families.
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Catherine Gunn says that during her time in the hospital
she never felt that she and her husband were in the
way of staff doing their job, or that their voices weren’t
wanted. The safety and well-being of patients is always
the prime concern, adds Vine, but if anything family
presence enhances that.
“We try to work with patients and families as a unit,
because that’s what they are,” Vine says.
Family presence is evolving. Families have always
been welcome in the NICU, but the concept has spread
to other units at the IWK Health Centre. Vine notes that
family presence goes beyond throwing open visiting
hours. For instance, the hospital is moving to allowing
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families to be there during intubation and induction
procedures.
She says the hospital doesn’t even think of family
presence as a change anymore. “It’s just the way we are,
a culture that’s embraced here.” For healthcare leaders,
the ethical and practical case for family presence is
clear, says Vine: “It’s non-negotiable, a must-do.”
For her part, Gunn hopes that other hospitals will learn
from the examples of family presence and patient- and
family-centred care overall. “We need more groups to
be educated about the evidence and the benefits,” she
says.
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CFHI is a not-for-profit organization funded by Health Canada.
The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of Health Canada.