PARTNER Program - Improving Patient and Family Centered Care

PARTNER Program - Improving Patient and Family Centered Care

Project Period: 07/2012 - 02/2016 PI: Douglas White, MD, MAS       
Funding Source: - UPMC Health System 
                             - The Greenwall Foundation

The program combines multiple evidence-based practices into a novel team-based intervention, and transforms the healthcare workforce through training existing clinicians in advanced, team-based protocols. It was developed with the following aims in mind: 1) changing care "defaults" to ensure clinician-family meetings withn 48 hours of enrollment and frequently thereafter; 2) protocolized nurse-administered coaching and emotional support of surrogates* before and during clinician-family meetings; 3) increased use of palliative care services for patients with a poor prognosis; and 4) structured communication at care transitions about patient's health care preferences and goals. 

Following quality improvement studies funded by UPMC, the PARTNER program launched in June 2018 in the transplant ICU.

Publications