HEALING WITH HUMAN CARE
Two KPJ hospitals awarded Person-Centered Care Gold Certification
MAKING trips to the hospital or having to be admitted is not something people look forward to, but being cared for under a quality healthcare institution dedicated to meeting all of the patient’s needs can make a whole lot of difference.
Beyond seeking the traditional curative care that is commonly associated with reputable healthcare institutions, patients are seeking out providers that are aligned to their beliefs and values.
As a result of this trend in recent years, healthcare institutions are adopting a person-centred care approach that emphasises on the active participation of patients and their families with healthcare practitioners in order to achieve the desired outcomes.
KPJ Damansara Specialist Hospital and KPJ Ampang Puteri Specialist Hospital in the Klang Valley are among only 146 organisations worldwide to receive the Person-Centered Care Gold Certification awarded by Planetree International at Boston in the United States recently.
The prestigious certification reflects the high level of sustained person-centred care achieved by these award-winning healthcare institutions.
Planetree’s mission is to serve as a catalyst in the development of new healthcare models by integrating human caring with the best of scientific medicine and complementary healing traditions.
The Person-Centered Care Gold Certification represents the hospitals’ highest level of achievement for prioritising the engagement of patients and their families together with hospital staff and the community throughout the healthcare process.
The certification criteria address 10 significant components to ensure the needs of patients and their families are met with respect to making clinical decisions and to enhance the quality of the healthcare experience. In a nutshell, it is designed to create positive impressions, satisfying experiences and improving lives.
Person-centred policies being practised in KPJ Damansara and KPJ Ampang Puteri include caregivers providing personalised care for patients and their families, while fun activities such as clown performances are made available to cheer up the young patients.
To enhance the healing environment, patients and staff can participate in fun interactive activities such as kids fun days, team-building programmes, charity sales as well as aerobic, zumba and combat classes.
Additionally, there are infant cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) education and personalised bed- side education. There are also complimentary therapies such as spa, reflexology and relaxation therapy and also mindfulness relaxation for patients to rejuvenate the body, mind and soul.
KPJ believes that supportive care is just as important during treatment and recovery. As such, the cancer support group and bariatric support group provide people of similar challenges a space to share perspectives and cope with the emotional aspects of healthcare.
Diet plays a huge role in regaining health so the right food gives a significant impact on a patient’s wellbeing.
Aside from preparing three main meals and two snacks daily, the hospitals serve the meals on educational tray mats, which display information on healthy eating.
It is especially important for patients to feel comfortable when they are unwell and the design of a medical facility plays a role too.
Both KPJ hospitals are built with a garden for patients and visitors to stroll around.
To help patients nurture healthy minds, leisure facilities such as reading corners, games sections and scenery video displays, are also available.
The hospitals’ hallways are also lined with informative materials on healthcare and therefore, made accessible to everyone.
Both KPJ Damansara and KPJ Ampang Puteri provide a wide array of spiritual services.
Understanding that one’s spiritual well-being has a substantial impact on the recovery of patients, both hospitals provide access to religious figures in the community, appropriate facilities to perform religious obligations and a quiet room for spiritual reflection.
Beyond empowering patients and healthcare practitioners within its institution, KPJ hospitals also involve the community by carrying out community engagement programmes such as anti-dengue campaigns with residents associations and local councils.