What is patient and family advocacy?
A Patient & Family Advocacy Council (PFAC) is a group of individuals focused on improving patient experiences and outcomes by involving patients, families, and caregivers in decision-making processes and empowering them to speak up regarding their healthcare decisions. This webpage is dedicated to providing patients, families, providers, and the rest of the healthcare team with information regarding PFACs, advocacy, and how to reach out for the support they need to make informed decisions and advocate for their health and wellbeing.
Frequently Asked Questions
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is patient self-advocacy? | Patient self-advocacy is when individuals receiving medical care are actively involved in asking questions, participating in decision-making, and voicing concerns to ensure they get the treatment they believe suits them best. |
| What if I need help advocating for myself? | If you don’t feel comfortable advocating for yourself, an advocate may be able to assist you! This advocate may be a caregiver, friend, family member, or from an independent agency. There are tools, skills, tactics, and other information that may be available to help you. |
| What is advocacy, and who can advocate? | The patient, a caregiver, a third party, or a patient and family advocacy group can advocate. A person can always advocate by bringing and taking notes, asking questions, and voicing their care goals. |
| What is continuum of care? | Continuum of care is your entire healthcare journey--this may include acute care, long-term care, home healthcare, and more! |
| How does advocacy improve continuum of care outcomes? | Being knowledgeable about your healthcare history and wishes helps ensure that everyone is working with the best information to reach the same goal--the best outcome for you! |
| What is a Patient and Family Advocacy Council (PFAC)? | A patient and family advocacy council (PFAC), sometimes called a patient and family advisory council or patient family partners, brings together care providers, administrators, patients, and families. PFAC groups improve patient and family communication, experiences, and health outcomes. Many facilities have PFAC groups, but not every facility has one. |
| Where can I find a PFAC? | If your specific facility does not have a PFAC, try reaching out to the Patient Advocate Foundation, ADA Indiana, Family Voices Indiana, or the Indiana patient safety coalition for your area. |
| My hospital/provider/care team reached out to me to join a PFAC. What do I need to know? | You should reach out to your contact to find out what your role would be, what the time commitment would be, and how your experience will be represented. Some PFACs take advisory roles within healthcare facilities while others focus on advocacy goals. |
Notes from the Field
"I have been on the PFAC for over two years. During that time, I have learned about recent advances in treatment for several chronic illnesses. I wished that others in my local community could have access to this information. Recently we had a presentation on 211 and that information absolutely needs to be shared with the public. Evidenced based information about chronic illnesses and information about services will surely improve population health!"
- Dr. JoAnne Burke, Ph. D., LCSW, LMFT, BSN, Chair, Indiana Commission on Aging; Chair, QSource Board of Directors
Page last reviewed and updated: June 2024