Patient and Family-Centered Care

Patient- and family-centered care describes the way the healthcare team at Yale New Haven Children's Hospital partners with patients and families to ensure that the best interest of patients is the foundation of our care.

We understand that family members know their loved one better than anyone else. Informed, involved patients and families can offer important information, make better decisions and improve the quality and safety of care. We provide information that patients and families need to make educated decisions about treatment. At the same time, we rely on personal input from families, we support the choices and we respect the decisions patients and families make.

The partnership between patients, families and healthcare providers is based on the understanding that everyone's role is important. What we do together is greater than what any of us can do alone. Involving families in the patient's care supports the healing process and can improve the outcome. This belief shapes our work, our services and the care we provide.

Patient- and family-centered care means involving and responding to patients and families. To do this, we:

• Recognize that each child and each family is unique
• Provide open, honest communication
• Involve the family in the planning, delivery and the evaluation of health care
• Offer a welcoming, supportive environment
• Provide timely and expert care
• Provide access to information and resources