Partner
Tufts Medicine Pediatric Primary Care – Boston
Tufts Medicine Pediatric Primary Care in partnership with Boston Children offers services for all ages, from babies to young adults and everyone in between. They provide the care that families need, whether it’s for regular checkups or diagnosing illnesses. Their Boston-based clinic is located on the main campus of Tufts Medical Center.
Goals
Tufts Pediatrics identified the following goals for implementing the HOPE framework:
- Increase equitable access to positive childhood experiences (PCEs)
- Center the family’s goals leading to more client-centered and goal-concordant care
- Increase staff retention and satisfaction
Implementation
Working towards these goals, Tufts Pediatrics prioritized programmatic efforts to build resilience among staff and families and strengthened its commitment to fostering a patient- and family-centered culture. The clinic implemented the HOPE framework through the HOPE-Informed Organizational Certification program and created meaningful improvements to their staff support and development, physical spaces, and policy updates.
Staff support and development
The organization trained their staff on the HOPE framework including Introduction to HOPE workshops and follow-up refreshers. HOPE trainings were also integrated into the staff onboarding process, and HOPE-specific questions were added to annual reviews.
Physical space improvements
Tufts Pediatrics wanted to make its waiting area more welcoming for its patients and to connect more children and families to the Four Building Blocks of HOPE. Changes included:
- Repainting the walls to brighten up the space
- Featuring murals by local artists that welcomed patients in different languages
- Featuring artwork by local artists inspired by the Four Building Blocks of HOPE
- Installing a community resource corner that included clothing, books, and resource pamphlets in different languages
Blocking Blocks worksheet activity
The organization piloted a worksheet activity based on the Four Building Blocks of HOPE. The worksheet asks children to draw or describe how they see each Building Block. This exercise serves as a conversation starter for providers about what the child does to stay healthy and to brainstorm together on areas that may need attention. Copies of the worksheet were placed in the waiting room for children to complete while waiting to be seen.
Late policy updates
Tufts Pediatrics recognized that the original language of its late policy was too disciplinary. They updated the policy to be more understanding and accommodating to families’ needs.
Lessons learned
Parents felt seen and heard
Based on post-implementation interviews, parents whose families received care at Tufts Pediatrics shared that they consistently had positive experiences at the clinic. The staff showed genuine concern and compassion that made parents feel seen and heard. The updated waiting room made families feel more comfortable and welcomed while waiting to be seen.
Staff found fulfillment in their work
Staff members felt that they built stronger trust and transparency with their patients and empowered families to have a say in their care. They shared that integrating HOPE practices helped them prevent burnout and find fulfillment in their work.
HOPE energized the entire organization
Leadership at Tufts Pediatrics noted that HOPE helped energize and motivate their staff. The organization saw HOPE as not another thing to add to their workload but a natural extension and amplification of their work with families. This helped with the buy-in and onboarding process of HOPE implementation.
HOPE takes time and intention to implement
Overall, Tufts Pediatrics observed that HOPE implementation takes time, intention, and shared accountability across the organization. The clinic started with short-term, practical, and achievable goals towards HOPE implementation. This helped the organization build momentum and excitement toward longer-term HOPE improvements.
Future plans
Tufts Pediatrics remains committed to using HOPE as a framework for supporting a compassionate, patient-centered space that promotes the well-being of its patients and staff. They plan to build upon their initial success with more targeted patient-centered improvements including updating additional policies and incorporating HOPE-inspired art in the exam rooms. The clinic is also beginning to define specific organizational outcomes, goals, and measures of success related to HOPE.
This case study was developed in partnership with Root Cause.
