Blue Shield of California Foundation has awarded a grant to the Institute for Healthcare Communication (IHC) to continue development of a unique training tool and curriculum that will enhance provider capacity to deliver high-quality care with compassion and respect for every patient.
The Empathy Effect (EE) curriculum is informed by research indicating that patient outcomes are influenced by how patients feel they are treated. It guides healthcare team members as they examine their own beliefs and biases that may inhibit compassionate and equitable care for all patients. The EE content enhances personal self-awareness and offers practical, evidenced-based communication skills to heighten patients' sense of perceived empathy and connectivity, as well as to improve employees' own experience of their work. The curriculum is broadly applicable to all patient interactions and focuses on care for those who suffer from conditions subject to stigma and substandard care, such as mental health and addictive disorders, chronic pain, trauma history, domestic violence and homelessness.
The Empathy Effect workshops (4.5 hours) are open to all members of caregiving teams. A companion train-the-trainer (TTT) faculty course (3.75 days, available Jan. 2018) will be open to selected individuals who will lead EE workshops in their own organizations.
IHC is a non-profit organization based in New Haven, Ct. It has developed and disseminated evidence-based communication skills curricula for healthcare organizations since 1987. IHC's communication and coaching skills curricula are nationally accredited and widely accepted avenues for improving patient outcomes and satisfaction, enhancing patient adherence and outcomes and fostering greater healthcare team job satisfaction. For additional information about the programs and services offered by IHC, visit http://healthcarecomm.org/ or contact Katheryne Stewart, kstewart@healthcarecomm.org, tel. 1-844-825-4226.
Blue Shield of California Foundation is one of California's largest and most trusted grantmaking organizations. Its mission is to improve the lives of California's most vulnerable populations by making health care more accessible and effective, and by ending domestic violence. For additional information about the Foundation's grantmaking and impact visit: www.blueshieldcafoundation.org.
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