Seeing the Patient as a Person: Reflections from the Implementation of the Meet My Loved One Project (Sch459)

ABSTRACT

Outcomes: 1. Utilizing a discussion-based approach, participants will self-report the ability to inject humanism and dignity into patient care by utilizing and incorporating initiatives like the MMLO into their practice. 2. Evaluate and analyze the impact of initiatives such as the MMLO project on patients' families and on healthcare workers. Purpose(s) As COVID-19 surged, patients and healthcare workers (HCWs) experienced diminished recognition of patient personhood and increased burnout. Adapted from the University of Alabama's MMLO initiative, the UNC palliative care team implemented the MMLO initiative in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic to elicit personhood, restore patient dignity, and provide patient-centered care. The team also aimed to understand the MMLO's effect on HCWs and patient care. Method(s) Primary teams identified candidates and made referrals. The MMLO team called patients' loved ones to explain the initiative and ask questions from the MMLO form. Respondents' answers were posted at patients' bedsides along with collected patient photos. Survey data were collected from participants immediately prior to and 2-7 days after form completion. Quantitative and qualitative data from HCWs' experiences with MMLO were also collected after implementation. Result(s) Using a Mann-Whitney test, there is a significant improvement in median satisfactory level between the pre- and post-MMLO surveys of patients' loved ones regarding their perception of the care provided. Of the 21 HCWs surveyed, 96% agreed they learned something about their patients, and 58% stated they learned something about themselves after taking care of patients with a completed MMLO. Additionally, 90% of the HCWs stated that the MMLO increased their connectedness to their patients, and 76% stated that this project will positively change their future care of patients. Implications The MMLO revealed the importance of connectedness and reflection. For HCWs, the connectedness to patients at a time of heightened stress reinforced a sense of purpose. Reflections concluded that the MMLO "visualized that people care" and provided a new lens for how others see the medical profession. Given these positive outcomes, we hope to universally implement the MMLO throughout the UNC Health Care system and promote it more broadly.Copyright © 2023