Updates

The second PQNC Family Focus Group Meeting took place last week. Highlights from the agenda include: 1) Storyboard presentations of projects folks are particularly proud of 2)presentation of QI Tools you can use at your facility 3) Partnering with Families for QI: Your Hospital - sharing what's going on at your hospital-What have you found to be the top 5 ways to involve families? What have been your top 5 barriers and how have they been overcome and/or what do you need to overcome them? 4) The State of PQCNC - A brief update on projects, as well as discussion surrounding the work being done to collaborate with families. 5) a Nursery Tour

The second PQNC Family Focus Group Meeting took place last week. Included on the agenda:  1) Show & Share - folks sharing (in three minutes or less) their favorite aspect of their family centered activities and why as an opportunity for all of us to learn more about other centers and generate ideas we can use when we get back home.  2) Small group discussions around barriers and potential state-wide problems in pursuing the goal of family centered care.  3) First look / sneak peek at HYB.com - web-based real time tool to measure patient satisfaction and readiness for discharge. 4) How you can participate in PQCNC (with brief project updates) 5) Nursery Tour  6) Afternoon free-form group discussion - unstructured time to talk about what's on your mind.

The first PQNC Family Focus Group Meeting took place last week.  It was a gathering of NICU and perinatal family support specialists, as well as family members with perinatal experiences which have led them to seek opportunities to actively improve perinatal care in the state.  The meeting was held in Greensboro at the Koury Center and about 30 attendees were present.  It began at 10:00 AM and ended at 4:00 PM, though it easily could have gone on hours longer.  It was eye opening to hear the wisdom, ideas, and comments of all these folks as they discussed the participation of families and family support specialists in PQCNC.  A range of issues from family participation in daily NICU function, to participation in NICU leadership boards (not just family advisory boards) through active education of families to develop methods for them to participate directly in quality projects was discussed.  
 
There was agreement from all present that they wanted to participate at all levels of the PQCNC organization and many reported they would return to their units and discuss the days' events with providers in their units.  We are planning a follow up meeting with a more focused agenda, based on deliverables from this initial meeting. It is simply stunning how little we as providers, even those who have been on the maternal cot or radiant warmer, know about what families are thinking.  Look forward to our next gathering!