Students at Thomas Jefferson University participating in our Tell Me More program during Solidarity Week.
Englewood Cliffs, NJ – Patients at over 90 healthcare institutions across the country will be the focus of special engagement efforts during National Patient Solidarity Week.
Solidarity Week, celebrated February 13-17, is sponsored by The Arnold P. Gold Foundation, a nonprofit organization that promotes patient-centered care. The events of Solidarity Week are designed to strengthen the critical bond that exists between people who are patients and people who care for them.
The Gold Foundation’s “Tell Me More®” program will be the centerpiece of Solidarity Week. Tell Me More® was designed and is led by medical student members of the Gold Humanism Honor Society (GHHS), one of the largest and most prestigious honor societies in medical schools, which is a signature program of the Foundation.
As part of Tell Me More®, medical students will engage their patients in conversations focusing on important aspects of their lives rather than their diseases. Answers to some of the questions – like “How would your friends describe you?” – will be written on large posters which are hung at the head of each patient’s bed, so that everyone on the healthcare team will have the opportunity to relate to patients in ways other than their clinical diagnoses.
“Patients light up when asked about their personal lives,” according to Richard I. Levin, MD, President, and CEO of the Gold Foundation. “This small act of humanity allows the healthcare team to connect with their patients on a personal level, and reminds the often harried members of the team why they chose to go into healthcare,” Dr. Levin said.
By increasing the engagement of patients and those people providing their healthcare, GHHS strives to enhance patient and staff satisfaction and improve healthcare outcomes. More information on GHHS and the Gold Foundation can be found here.
