As caregiver engagement increases, family presence has become part of the hospital's culture of recognizing the value of caregiver participation in hospital activities. Hospitals in Ontario have re-examined policies that govern the presence of family and friends at the patient's bedside as they receive care. The traditional model of firmly established visiting hours has given way to family presence and open visiting policies.
The Ontario Hospital Association and The Change Foundation partnered on a research project, where a sample of Ontario hospitals with family presence policies or open visiting policies were interviewed, to get a sense of how the policies were developed, implemented, and the impact of the policy on patients, families, staff and caregivers.
The research resulted in the Family Presence and Open Visiting Policies in Ontario Hospitals report which summarizes insights and reflections from hospital staff who were interviewed on the hospital's family presence policies. We hope these reflections and insights are helpful to those hospitals considering implementing family presence policies.
We also encourage hospitals with family presence policies or those who want to shift to family presence policies to consider Caregiver ID initiatives as part of their family presence culture.
Past Webinar: Thursday, June 6, 2019 at 12:30 pm
Including Caregiver ID Initiatives as Part of Family Presence and Open Visiting Policies in Ontario
Watch this webinar to learn more about this research on family presence and open visiting policies, and how Caregiver ID initiatives can play an important role in a family presence culture.
You will also hear from Jennifer Ridgway, Program Lead, Changing CARE at BridgePoint Active Healthcare, Sinai Health System who led the implementation of Caregiver ID. She will share lessons learned and reflections on how to integrate a Caregiver ID initiative with the introduction of a family presence policy.
Speakers include:
Lori Hale, Executive Lead, Research and Policy, The Change Foundation
Christa Haanstra, Executive Lead, Strategic Communications, The Change Foundation
Jennifer Ridgway, Program Lead, Changing CARE at BridgePoint Active Healthcare, Sinai Health System
About the Caregiver ID initiative
The purpose of the Caregiver ID program is to formally identify caregivers within care settings and provide them with a form of identification to facilitate their participation and role as members of the care team. There is a strong link between Caregiver ID programs and the introduction or expansion of family presence policies in hospitals. Offering an identification card, badge or lanyard is a concrete and visible way to recognize and validate caregivers and remove barriers to their participation as a member of the care team.
Learn more about the Caregiver ID Initiative >
