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Caregivers in the Intensive Care Unit at Griffin Hospital mark the first-in-the-nation implementation of the award-winning Post-ICU journal program./ Contributed photo
DERBY - Griffin Hospital is the first in the nation to offer ICU patients a digital journal that provides unique, patient-centered care to support their ability to process and manage traumatic events.
This September, Griffin introduced the Post-ICU journal, a novel care program that won the National Healthcare Innovation Award in the Netherlands in 2021.
Developed by anesthesiologist-intensivist Dr. Marc Buise of the Dutch Eindhoven Catharina Hospital, and We All Journal, the Post ICU journal is an online diary that helps intensive care patients process the traumatic events that resulted in their ICU admission.
“An ICU care experience can be incredibly difficult and isolating for patients,” said Dr. K. Marya Chaisson, Griffin Hospital ICU Medical Director. “Their trauma can be made worse when they have no clear recollection of being admitted and their memories of the experience are vague and fragmented. As part of our commitment to empower patients, foster their independence, honor their humanity, and enhance the healing environment at Griffin, we are proud to be the first hospital in the country to implement this innovative, patient-centered program that provides compassionate care for the emotional well-being of patients and their loved ones.”
The Post ICU journal addresses a side effect of ICU admission known as Post Intensive Care Syndrome.
The journal allows relatives and nurses to safely and securely document events that occurred during a patient’s admittance and stay in the ICU so that the patient can review the entries when they are well.
Research has shown that being able to read an account of the events that occurred during a hospital stay enables patients and their loved ones to better process the ICU period upon returning home.
This contributes to a better mental and physical recovery.
The implementation of the Post ICU journal is supervised by Planetree International, a not-for-profit organization that partners with care settings around the world to improve health care outcomes and experiences through person-centered care. Planetree International has also supported several hospitals in the Netherlands with the introduction and implementation of this service.
The Post-ICU journal epitomizes the Planetree vision of person-centered care, which emphasizes the quality of human interactions and caring communication, the importance of connecting personnel to the deeper purpose of their work, and practical strategies for engaging patients, families and communities as partners.
“Griffin adopted this innovative care tool as part of its longstanding commitment to delivering Planetree person-centered care, an approach to healthcare that produces superior patient care and a humanized health care experience that emphasizes compassion, equity, and the active participation of patients and their families,” said Griffin Health President and CEO Patrick Charmel. “We are grateful to Planetree International for their partnership in bringing this innovation to the U.S., and to Griffin’s ICU caregivers for implementing this novel solution that supports the mental and physical recovery of our patients and their loved ones.”
Griffin Hospital has earned a reputation as a leader in person-centered care.
The hospital has earned Planetree International’s prestigious Gold Certification for Excellence in Person-Centered Care four times and was recently named as one of the World’s Best Hospitals by Newsweek magazine for the fourth consecutive year.
This is a press release from Griffin Hospital.
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