"Call Me by My Name": Improving Communication with Family Members at the Bedside via the Caregiver Identification Badge.

Duan, Lucy; Hadjinicolaou, Aris; Kraus, Raphaël; Lirette, Marie-Pier; Beck, Carolyn E; Gardam, Michael

BACKGROUND Patient and family experience are integral to the care that we provide. In the pediatric hospital setting, multiple family members are directly involved in patient care. We identified the need for greater caregiver name recognition at The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON. OBJECTIVE We aimed to improve communication between healthcare providers and families via the optimization of caregiver identification badges. METHODS We used a qualitative, narrative study design to explore perceptions surrounding caregiver identification badges via unstructured interviews. RESULTS We identified key hospital and family stakeholders. Unstructured interviews supported the theory that badge optimization could improve communication and patient care. Our initiative, however, was abruptly interrupted by the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSION Communication with patients and families is crucial across medical disciplines. The optimization of caregiver identification badges to facilitate the use of preferred names and pronouns will ultimately lead to the more effective and safer delivery of high-quality care.