Family Engagement
Family Engagement refers to the active involvement of families in the design, delivery, and improvement of health care systems. It extends beyond individual patient participation to include family members as partners in care, advocating for systemic changes that respect family roles and needs.
Key Concepts & Frameworks
Carman Framework for Patient and Family Engagement
A seminal framework for understanding the elements of engagement in health care systems.
- Source: Carman - Patient And Family Engagement
- Authors: Kristin L. Carman, Pam Dardess, Maureen Maurer, Shoshanna Sofaer, Karen Adams, Christine Bechtel, Jennifer Sweeney
- Publication: Health Affairs, 2012
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2012.1133
- Core Elements:
- Participation: The foundation of engagement; involves information exchange and decision-making.
- Active Involvement: Patients/families take an active role in their care.
- Influence: Families have a voice in shaping care processes.
- Shared Governance: Collaborative decision-making structures between providers and families.
- Keywords: engagement, health, care, patient, patients, framework, system, policy
Distinctions
- Patient Participation: Individual-level involvement in care tasks.
- Patient Partnership: Mutual collaboration in care decisions.
- Patient Advocacy: Speaking up for individual rights.
- Patient Empowerment: Building capacity for self-management.
- Family Engagement: System-level inclusion of family perspectives in policy and design.
Related Concepts
- Patient-Centered Care
- Healthcare Quality Improvement
- Shared Decision Making