Medical Education: Patient and Family Faculty Programs
“What I learned from the family faculty presentations really helps in my work in the emergency room. I encourage parents to stay with their child during procedures. I try and use plain English when talking to families and write everything down for them when they leave.”
—Philip Spandorfer
Former Chief Resident
The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Family faculty programs involve patients and families as educators in a wide variety of formats including grand rounds, small workshops, classroom settings, practicums in community programs and home visits. The following are examples of some teaching approaches:
Sharing personal stories one-on-one or in a group setting.
One of the most valuable ways to involve patients and families as educators is to give them the opportunity
to share their own stories with health care personnel and trainees.
Participating in small group discussions to train professionals.
Discussion groups facilitated by an experienced professional or patient/family member provide structure
but also allow spontaneous interchanges.
Role-playing interactions with families.
Role-playing is a useful technique for helping health professionals improve their communications
skills. In addition to role-playing, patient and family members can use other dramatic techniques very
effectively in instructing students about sensitive issues.
Presenting at orientation meetings, grand rounds, and other continuing education programs.
In academic medical centers, patients and family members may take an ongoing, formalized role that can
involve presentations or panel discussions in orientation meetings, grand rounds, and continuing education programs.
Presenting at meetings and conferences.
Patients and families also participate meaningfully in regional and national meetings of professional
associations. This participation can take the form of a lecture, informally sharing one’s story,
a co-presentation with one or more professionals, or participating in a panel discussion.
Interacting with health professionals as patient and family advocates.
Patients or family members who are hired by a health care institution to serve as patient and family advocates
can fill many roles. For example, they can:
- Reach out to and support other patients or families;
- Help families learn to negotiate the health care system more effectively;
- Help build bridges between patients and providers;
- Educate providers about patient and family needs and priorities; and
- Educate providers about effective communication.
Co-instructing courses.
Patient and family educators can be very effective as co-instructors for courses in a medical, nursing,
or other educational settings.
Consulting in curriculum development and review.
Ideally, patients and families should be partners in the development of courses, the overall curriculum,
and every component of the educational process and its review. They can also help identify the professional
attitudes and skills that training programs should foster.
Participating in collaborative projects.
Patients or families can be excellent resources for ideas about useful projects and for information in
carrying them out.
For instance, a parent task force at the Boyle Community Pediatric Program at Dartmouth-Hichcock Medical Center, which was comprised of 14 parents, a pediatric resident, and two pediatricians, created this laminated card which is carried by every pediatric resident at the Center (see image at right, click on image for larger view).
Pairing with students to share patient and family experiences over time.
Patients or family members may agree to allow a student or other trainee to "shadow" them, by being
present during their clinic visits or hospital stay.
Mentoring students who participate in service or other community learning projects.
Service learning programs bring together patients, families, and trainees in a way that provides an educational
experience for the trainees while providing valuable services for patients, families, and the community.
Hosting students on home visits.
Home visits involving a patient and/or family and a trainee may occur once or many times and may include a meal,
unstructured family time, and time for discussion.
The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia has developed a successful and comprehensive Family Faculty
Program for incorporating patient and family presentations into various levels of training initiatives for students
and experienced health care professionals.
A family leader from Vermont and a physician co-present at a national seminar on teaching physician faculty
how to teach and model the concepts of family-centered care.
A flyer developed by the Center for Children with Special Needs, a program of Children’s Hospital
and Regional Medical Center in Seattle, Washington, that describes the Families as Teachers program and the
roles of families hosting home visits for pediatric residents. Click on image above for larger view.
The Benefits of Family Faculty Programs for Health Care Professionals, Patients and Family Members »
Roles for Patient and Family Faculty »
Medical Education: Patient and Family Faculty Programs »
Recruiting Patient and Family Faculty »
Tips for Developing and Maintaining Successful Patient and Family Faculty Programs »