At Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, our nursing care delivery system identifies and defines the professional nurse’s accountability and autonomy for clinical decision-making and patient outcomes. Patient- and family-centered care is central to our professional practice model, supports regulatory requirements and defines how nursing care is delivered.

Johns Hopkins All Children’s has adopted the Institute of Medicine definition of patient-centered care as “an approach to care delivery that is respectful of and responsive to individual patient preferences, needs, values and ensures that patient values guide all clinical decisions” (Institute of Medicine, 2001). The Institute of Medicine also has identified patient centeredness as one of six domains that define quality care. We follow four guiding principles that relate to patient- and family-centered care:

Dignity and Respect: Health care practitioners listen to and honor patient and family perspectives and choices. Patient and family knowledge, values, beliefs and cultural backgrounds are incorporated into the planning and delivery of care.

Information Sharing: Health care practitioners communicate and share complete and unbiased information with patients and families in ways that are affirming and useful. Patients and families receive timely, complete and accurate information in order to ef­fectively participate in care and decision-making.

Participation: Patients and families are encouraged and supported in participating in care and decision-making at the level they choose.

Collaboration: Patients, families, health care practitioners and health care leaders collaborate in policy and program development, implementation and evaluation. They also collaborate in facility design, research, professional education and delivery of care.

The American Nurses Association (ANA) Scope and Standards of Practice provides the foundation for our care delivery system at Johns Hopkins All Children’s. Our nursing care is rooted in the ANA Nursing Professional Scope of Practice, Standards of Care, Code of Ethics and through specialty certification.

Our nursing professional practice is also guided by the Florida Nurse Practice Act, in conjunction with our community and hospital standards as defined in our policies and procedures.