“We were looking for new approaches to how we care for our patients to improve the overall care experience,” said Esperanza Chavez, MSA, BSN, RN, chief nursing executive at the Sacramento Medical Center. This resulted in assistant nurse manager Mary Jane Q. Cruz, RN, BSN, and a team of nurse colleagues designing and introducing a new patient care program they named the “Because You Matter: KP HUGS” program.
An evidence-based practice project, “The Because You Matter: KP HUGS program focuses on promoting compassionate care, improving nurse-patient communication, and increasing the overall responsiveness to individual patient needs to boost their care experience,” said Maria G. Gonzalez, RN, nurse manager, 1 West Telemetry Unit, Sacramento Medical Center.
“The project was a group effort,” explained Gonzalez. “Leadership researched the current patient care experience and developed the initial HUGS objectives, but it was our staff who truly brought it to life by educating fellow nurses about the elements of the program with banners, posters, activities, and presentations — embracing the opportunity to improve how they approached patient care.”
HUGS in action
HUGS is an acronym for the goals the program represents: Honoring Your Commitment, Understanding Patients’ Needs, Getting to Know the Patient, and Supporting the Nursing Practice Model.
The HUGS program includes:
Making a personal connection: Nurses and staff engage with patients through empathy, active listening, and respect for individual backgrounds and beliefs. “We want to foster care where we see our patients as a whole person — not a room number or diagnosis,” said Chavez. “We value their stories, personal needs and preferences to build trust and foster a healing environment.”
“For example, a patient shared her love for candles with one of her nurses, so the following day, the nurse brought in a battery-operated candle for the patient’s comfort,” said Chavez.
Communication matters: The HUGS program focuses on nurses being more intentional about getting to know their patients and their patients’ families better. “Our rounding now goes beyond simply checking on patients,” said Gonzalez. “We ask purposeful questions, such as ‘What matters to you?’ to show empathy and connect on a deeper level. This builds trust and strengthens the bond between patients and their care teams.”
Patient-centered care: Nurses partner with colleagues to create a care environment where the patient is at the center of their experience. For example, the team introduced a no-pass zone, where any care team member has permission to stop in a patient’s room when their call light is activated, ensuring immediate patient care.
“Lastly, the HUGS program underscores the importance of the nurse practice model, which consists of six core principles: professionalism, compassion, teamwork, patient- and family-centered care, excellence, and integrity,” said Cruz. “I encourage every nurse at the Sacramento Medical Center to embody and demonstrate these values in every interaction with every patient, every day.”
Benefits of HUGS
“After five months of implementing the Because You Matter: KP HUGS program, the 1 West Telemetry Unit saw a 12% increase in their care experience scores,” said Cruz.
“The program allows us to cultivate deeper relationships with our patients, strengthening trust and rapport,” she added.
Interested in starting your own EBP project?
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