BWH Patient-and Family-Centered Care Philosophy
Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) commits to working with patients and their families and considers them to be partners at the center of the health care team. At the core of this partnership are the patient’s wishes and priorities to help guide their care. Each patient will determine who to define as “family” and choose if and how to involve “family” in care and decision-making. We commit to working with patients and their families to be active participants rather than passive recipients of care.
We seek to understand and meet the needs of our patients and their families, and with the patient’s consent, strive to deliver information, which is open, timely, complete, and understandable to them. We extend this commitment with attention to the dignity of and respect for the preferences of both patient and family with respect to culture, capacity, and abilities in determining care. To maintain the vitality of our commitments to patients and families, BWH recognizes the need to incorporate patient and family input on care delivery, policies, and in designing and improving operations and facilities.