Professional Practice Model
The professional practice model of Southern Ohio Medical Center (SOMC) is Patient Centered Care. The cardinal value of SOMC is “We honor the dignity and worth of every person”. The practice of Patient Centered Care reinforces the cardinal value by supporting the belief that every person should be valued, cared for, respected, nurtured, understood and assisted.
Nursing Theorist Dr. Jean Watson’s Model of Caritas focuses on Carative Factors, which complement the curative factors of traditional medicine. Carative Factors at SOMC are based on the five Strategic Values: Safety, Quality, Service, Teamwork and Finance. Other examples of Carative Factors at SOMC include:
- Incorporation of evidence-based practices across all strategic values.
- The pursuit of perfection in all outcomes.
The schematic representation of the Patient Centered Care model at SOMC depicts how the five Strategic Values are inter-connected. The patient is placed at the center of the model and all activities within the strategic values have the ultimate goal to surround and support the patient. The schematic includes photographs of caring activities by caregivers that demonstrate the strategic values. The photographs display vital components of Patient Centered Care: the importance of human interactions, care of diverse populations, the creation of healing partnerships, and human touch – all which foster a healing environment.
At SOMC everyone is a caregiver. In the quest to provide excellent patient care and customer service, caregivers identified that the optimal patient experience could be created by skilled practice and demonstration of the Five C’s of customer service: Communication, Compassion, Comfort, Connection and Collaboration. These concepts also encircle the patient and identify critical skills in the practice of Patient Centered Care.
The Patient Centered Care Model provides a philosophical framework and is a professional approach to work performance and making decisions from the patient’s perspective. The Patient Centered Care Model is an approach-an attitude, a mindset to the performance of excellent care and service. Patient Centered Care empowers SOMC caregivers to practice in alignment with the primary reason most aspire to the helping professions: the desire to care for others and to make a difference.
