Patient Centeredness-
The Intersection of Workforce & Patient Care

Nothing I have to share here is new, but I believe the importance of our workforce must always be in view. With the watchword in healthcare today being patient-centered care, is patient-centeredness truly being defined as intended? In other words, when all the meetings are over and the lights are turned off in conference rooms across the healthcare spectrum, has the focus really been on patient-centered care and patient-centeredness or has it been about job security? Could this be about securing one’s livelihood and the welfare of one’s family? Just food for thought! This health reform has certainly created a new mode of thinking and has amped up the stakes on quality of care and quality of life of the patients and the workforce. This paradigm shift has now created a real partnership, the intersection of the workforce and patient care and how they align. Essentially, without an efficient and top-performing workforce delivering patient-centered care, patient-centeredness is null and void.

In essence, the workforce engaged in delivering quality patient-centered care must be treated with the utmost consideration for the value they bring and principles they convey. The workforce must be advocated for as much as the patients. Their voices must be heard with a respectful and attentive response. As is often said, “Our employees are our most important asset,” without whom our effort to deliver patient-centered care would be impossible. Certainly, technology enhances care but the human component of compassion is most relevant in the care of patients. “There isn’t any customer satisfaction without employee satisfaction,” said Gordon Bethune, former chief executive of Continental Airlines. Put another way, without genuine employee satisfaction, the delivery of care to patients and their families is likely to be substandard at best.

Studies show that the typical workforce starts out fully engaged but, without timely and positive reinforcement, the employees eventually disengage. If the workforce becomes disengaged, the patients will naturally suffer because only the bare minimum of care will be delivered. This is a natural cause-and-effect outcome. The question is, “What has changed during the employment life cycle to create a disengaged employee?” No simple answer is available. It is reasonable to assume a gradual decline in dialogue and mutual exchange occurs between employer and employee. It would be fair to say values that were once mutually important are no longer aligned.

Oftentimes this disconnect is captured only during the exit survey after the once fully engaged employee has left the organization. Let’s remember that unless we own the business, we are all employees and should endeavor to maintain communication aimed at continuous engagement. Too often the workforce is treated as an expendable resource, hence the feeling of mistrust and a sense of being unappreciated. There is a common trade-off between all the players – hospital to employee, employee to patient, patient to hospital. Each is important to the other. When the hospital takes care of its employees, they will remain engaged and high performing. The employees in turn will provide superior quality of care to patients and they will be loyal to the hospital.

It cannot be said enough that the delivery of care to patients in a healthcare setting is best served by employees who feel respected and valued. A hospital must never believe that using the economy as an excuse to not recognize employees is going to result in quality care. Most care-givers are ethical and naturally deliver quality care to their patients. With continuous dissatisfactions, the ethical principle can be greatly impacted and patient care will naturally suffer.

The time has come for considerable focus to be given to the importance of our workforce in the delivery of quality care. The next time we turn on the lights and sit down in our conference rooms to discuss patient-centeredness, let us not forget the intersection – patients plus engaged workforce delivering patient-centered care and true patient-centeredness.

Neguiel Francis
HR Workforce Analyst