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Air Force Patient and Family Advisory Councils give patients a voice

  • Published
  • By Peter Holstein
  • Air Force Surgeon General Public Affairs
FALLS CHURCH, Va. --  Air Force patients have a new way to be advocates in their own care, through Patient and Family Advisory Councils, recently implemented by the Air Force Medical Service at hospitals and clinics nationwide.
 

The councils let patients communicate directly to medical staff and share their concerns and suggestions. The councils include staff, administrators and patient advocates, as well as patients and local community members who are interested in offering constructive feedback to improve patient experience and care.

Feedback from a PFAC comes in many shapes and sizes, said Mr. Mark Lane, the patient relations coordinator at David Grant Medical Center, Travis Air Force Base, Calif.  Lane organized the Travis PFAC, one of the first and most active councils in the Air Force.

“The council gives us the eyes of the patient, and gives them a voice for what’s important to them,” said Lane. “There are some things that, because we work here, we maybe don’t see. The patient perspective brings ideas that we’d never even think of.”

One simple example at Travis was the issue of after-hours food options for visiting family members. After the cafeteria closed, visitors were going hungry.

“We explained to them we had vending machines, but it turns out that nobody knew where they were,” said Lane. “A very simple suggestion from the PFAC was to put up signs for the vending machines. That resolved a problem that we didn’t even know existed.”

So far, six Air Force hospital and clinics have adopted PFACs, and many more are in development. The AFMS is committed to developing a patient centered culture, and creating forums to get feedback from patients is a critical step. While patients and family members have and will always provide feedback on their own, having a formal mechanism like the PFAC helps creates a dialogue between patients, providers and staff that can bear fruit.

“Our executive staff looks very seriously at recommendations from the advisory council,” said Lane. “Changes are made when they can be made, and they come straight from the patients.”

Patient membership on a PFAC can vary by location, but typically includes active duty, retiree and family member representation. PFAC members are often long time patients with deep roots in local military communities, which lets them raise important issues to hospital staff.

At Travis, Lane said patients came up with several ways to improve appointment scheduling. Previously, patients had to call central appointing to book follow up appointments with their primary care doctors, and patients leaving the emergency room couldn’t schedule follow up care right away. The PFAC recommended letting patients book those appointments in person if they are already at the hospital.

“The PFAC put those ideas out there, and now receptionists can schedule follow up appointments,” said Lane. “I thought that was a great idea that makes things easier for patients, but we just weren’t aware it was an issue before.”

As more PFACs are created at Air Force hospitals and clinics, they will be looking for committed, engaged patients interested in participating. Patients who want to be a voice for their community and help the AFMS achieve our patient centeredness goal can get in touch with their local patient advocate office to get involved.