Abstract
Background: From participatory diagnoses with the community of users of a High Complexity Emergency Hospital (HUAP), gaps in the reception and reception of users (patients and families) have been evidenced, which requires an institutional strategy to improve the proactive orientation of the consulting population in the waiting room, especially at times of high demand. This includes clear and timely access to information on health services, a facilitating role in care, and relevant guidance for differentiated care flows, knowledge of categorization and waiting times, relevant use of the health care network, i.e. a navigator role in care, among other issues framed in the Law on the Rights and Duties of Patients (Law 20584, 2024).
Approach: A Volunteer Project was designed and implemented to address the low quality perceived by patients and their companions through a support and guidance service for those in the waiting room, with roles and functions of facilitators and counselors for patients, families, and the community. This project involves 4th and 5th-year nursing students, who play the roles of facilitators and navigators in the waiting room. The participation of these students is fundamental since they must develop competencies in health humanization as part of their professional training. The professional competencies in the field of health humanization used were those defined by the Center for the Humanization of Health in Spain (Humanizar).
The project seeks to align the efforts of the first contact units, such as the admission and patient orientation office, to offer a proactive and humanized response to the concerns and needs of both patients and their families or companions. Its objective is to strengthen the system of reception and reception of patients and companions in the waiting room, providing specific and personalized guidance to the different requirements demanded by the user community. The aim was to improve the quality of the information and guidance given to people, reinforcing efficient, dignified, and timely management in the process of reception and first reception of patients and family members in the waiting room.
Results: Through the facilitator role, the project has been able to welcome and orient both patients and their families on care requirements and administrative processes. The care navigators have provided information on categorization, waiting times, and the care options available in the health care network. Students have also become aware of the skills needed to provide humanized care and what they need to improve, committing to developing these competencies in their professional careers.
Implications: In a highly complex facility with more than 500 daily attendances, implementing differentiated roles of facilitators and orientators of care, such as those implemented, is key to improving user satisfaction and quality of service. This project has highlighted the need for training in skills and abilities that foster humanization in the relational, emotional, ethical, and cultural dimensions of care. The next steps include ongoing evaluation of the program and expansion of its scope to further strengthen patient, family and community care.