Patient and Family Advisory Councils: Resources for the Field

Patient and Family Advisory councils (PFACs) are an excellent way to help health care institutions and providers better understand the perspective of patients and families while also helping caregivers better identify the needs of their patient population and bring patient and clinicians views closer together. As COVID-19 divided and devastated communities, many organizations worked with their PFACs to inform outreach, reduce barriers caused by COVID-19 and drive lasting improvements. To capture learnings and help the field build and sustain high performing PFACs, the AHA gathered a group of patient and family engagement leaders to share their insights.

PFAC Blueprint

Patient and Family Advisory Councils Blueprint: A Start-up Map and Strategy Guide

 

To capture learnings and help the field build and sustain high performing PFACs, the AHA gathered a group of patient and family engagement leaders to share their insights. Use the Patient and Family Advisory Councils Blueprint to help guide your organization through the process of forming and maintaining a successful PFAC.

 

Listen to our four-part podcast series:

Nursing Leadership in PFACs

In today's episode Elisa Arespacochaga, AHA vice president of clinical affairs and workforce, sits down with Robyn Begley, AHA senior vice president and chief nursing officer, and Pamela Rudisill, senior vice president and chief nursing officer at Community Health Systems to discuss the value of nursing leadership in PFACs.


Establishing a PFAC in your Organization, Councils truly reflect the patients they serve

In the second episode of our four-part series on Patient and Family Advisory Councils (PFACs), Elisa Arespacochaga, AHA vice president of clinical affairs and workforce, sits down with Jacqueline Beckerman, chief patient experience officer and senior director at ICARE Commitment at the University of Rochester Medical Center to discuss how to go about establishing a PFAC and the importance of representing all aspects of your community.


PFACs creating partnerships between providers, patients, and families

In the third episode of our four-part series on Patient and Family Advisory Councils (PFACs), Elisa Arespacochaga, AHA vice president of clinical affairs and workforce, sits down with Caroline DeLongchamps, manager of Patient and Family-Centered Care, and Quality and Safety, at MUSC Health to discuss how to go about establishing a PFAC including setting them up, staffing them, and sustaining them in your organization.


PFACs supporting hospitals through COVID-19

Today, in our final episode of our four-part series on Patient and Family Advisory Councils (PFACs) Elisa Arespacochaga, AHA vice president of clinical affairs and workforce, sits down with Nicole Iarrobino, senior project administrator of Patient and Family Advisory Councils at John Hopkins Hospital and Health System to discuss how their PFACs helped to support their organizations through the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Additional Resources

Joining Hands: PFACs and COVID-19
In this podcast, moderated by AHA’s Julia Resnick, senior program manager for strategic initiatives, Libby Hoy, founder and CEO of Patient Family Centered Care Partners and Connie Montgomery, a member of the Medical University of South Carolina’s patient family advisory council discuss their experiences engaging with and advocating for patients and families throughout the pandemic.