White Boards: A Strategy to Engage Patients in the Plan of Care through Communication

Purpose:
Information among the patient care team and to the patient and family has a strong correlation with overall patient satisfaction. The dry erase patient white board serves as a mechanism to ensure that communication and engage patients in their plan of care.

Significance:
Value-based purchasing programs has heightened the need for healthcare facilities to engage in measures to improve the patient experience. Communication with doctors and nurses are two of the nine patient experiences measured for incentive payments under the Value-based purchasing program.

Strategy and Implementation:
Communication failures are frequent causes of adverse events per The Joint Commission. Dry erase boards have been used in acute care settings for years without a standardized format for exchange of information. There was confusion as to who was responsible for the information on the board and if it was current and relevant. There has been little research on the effectiveness of the dry erase board in improving teamwork, communication and patient satisfaction. St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital embarked on developing a patient-centered board that was standradized across the facility with a goal of improving communication. A basic design was developed using some key questions from the patient satisfaction survey. The template changed many times as the boards was presented to patients, families, staff and physicians. The result was a standardized communication board in English and Spanish, easily visible to the patient and family. Patient and families are educated, informed and involved.

Evaluation:
Communication with doctors and nurses as measured by a nationally recongized patient satisfaction survey have improved. The communication board is just one implemented improvement. Other initiatives to improve communication and the patient experience have been incorporated into the board.

Implications for Practice:
1. Focus on key drivers and goals when developing the board. 2. Use a standardized formate across the hospital, because patients move around the facility. 3. Involve all direct care givers in the development process. 4. Provide an outline for use of the board. 5. Measure and monitor.