Family-centered care is a framework for the delivery of healthcare that is creating change in healthcare policies, programs, facility design, day-to-day practices of individual practitioners, and professional education. This paper traces the history of family-centered care over the past 35 years. It presents the conceptual basis for familycentered care. It includes an overview of the origin, activities, and future directions of the Institute of Family-Centered Care, a non-profit organization founded in 1992 to advance the understanding and practice of family-centered care.

Background Patient and family engagement (PFE) is vital to the spirit of the medical home. This article reflects the efforts of an expert consensus panel, the Patient and Family Engagement Workgroup as part of the Society of General Internal Medicine’s 2013 Research Conference. Objective To review extant literature on PFE in pediatric and adult medicine and quality improvement, highlight emerging best practices and models, suggest questions for future research, and provide references to tools and resources to facilitate implementation of PFE strategies. Methods We conducted a narrative review of relevant articles published from 2000–2015. Additional information was retrieved from personal contact with experts and recommended sources from workgroup members. Results Despite the theoretical importance of PFE and policy recommendations that PFE occur at all levels across the health care system, evidence of effectiveness is limited, particularly for quality improvement. There is some evidence that PFE is effective, mostly related to engagement in the care of individual patients, but the evidence is mixed and few studies have assessed the effect of PFE on health outcomes. Measurement issues and the lack of a single comprehensive conceptual model pose challenges to progress in this field. Recommendations for future research and a list of practical tools and resources to facilitate PFE are provided. Conclusion Although PFE appeals to patients, families, providers, and policy-makers, research is needed to assess outcomes beyond satisfaction, address implementation barriers, and support engagement in practice redesign and quality improvement. Partnering with patients and families has great potential to support high quality health care and optimize outcomes.

Providing effective care for individuals with prostate cancer is an important issue for oncology nurses. However, the paucity of empirical work regarding the impact of prostate cancer presents a limitation in designing and implementing appropriate nursing interventions. This article presents the findings from a national survey of 621 Canadian men living with prostate cancer regarding the impact of their disease and the availability of support. The most frequently identified problems included sexual function, side effects, fear of dying, incontinence, anger and pain. Approximately one-third of the respondents experienced a lifestyle change, but relatively few indicated experiencing a negative impact from the changes they experienced. The majority of respondents indicated they had been informed accurately about their treatment, but dissatisfaction was expressed regarding lack of information about emotional reactions, alternative therapies, how to speak with other prostate cancer patients and the availability of counselling and self-help groups. Clearly these results have implications for oncology nurses.

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Cancer treatment can have a significant impact on an individual's quality of life. In particular, body image and sexuality can be compromised. There is increasing evidence that conversations about these specific consequences are not happening often between cancer patients and health care providers, especially in busy ambulatory settings. This study was undertaken to explore the perspectives of cancer care providers regarding the conversations about sexuality that happen following a cancer diagnosis. There was a desire to understand more about the barriers that exist with regards to having this conversation in daily practice. Thirty-four cancer care professionals (nurses, physicians, social workers and radiation therapists) were interviewed to explore their experiences in having conversations about sexuality. Transcripts were subjected to a standard qualitative content and theme analysis. Six themes emerged from the analysis. Overall, participants acknowledged treatment can have an impact on a patient's sexuality. For the most part, any conversations about sexuality topics occurred during informed consent processes before treatment began or when a patient raised a question about a side effect. However, these conversations rarely covered more than the physical side effects and did not focus on the impact of those side effects on emotional and personal relationships or intimacy. Most providers waited for patients to raise any concerns and expressed their own personal discomfort and lack of training in holding these types of conversations. They perceived the conversations as difficult for themselves and for patients. The findings support the need to clarify role expectations for cancer nurses, as well as other members of the cancer care team, about patient care regarding sexuality, and the provision of education to support the expected role.