Publications

The Joint Commission developed Advancing Effective Communication, Cultural Competence, and Patient- and Family-Centered Care: A Roadmap for Hospitals to inspire hospitals to integrate concepts from the fields of communication, cultural competence, and patient- and family-centered care into their organizations. This monograph provides methods for hospitals to begin or improve upon their efforts to ensure that all patients receive the same high quality care.

Recommendations and practice examples and in this mono-graph address various issues including language, culture, health literacy, other communication barriers, mobility needs, and the concerns of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) patients. As many of these issues can arise at various points along the care continuum, several recommendations are repeated to reinforce the importance of incorporating these practices into care delivery. Example practices and “how to” information can help hospitals implement the recommendations and also comply with the new and existing Joint Commission requirements.

Funded by The Joint Commission, the project had a committee that included Healthforce Center's Director Sunita Mutha, MD.