How Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center's Nurses Adopted and Adapted Relationship-Based Care

Relationship-Based Care was the right formula to 'come together and provide the best possible care to our patients,' CNO Elizabeth McCormick says. When Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) embarked on its journey to earn Magnet Recognition®, which recognizes healthcare organizations that provide superior nursing care, Elizabeth McCormick, chief nursing officer (CNO), also began to consider new care models.

After extensive research, consideration, and a vote by hospital nurses, MSK chose Relationship-Based Care (RBC), a trademarked model developed by Creative Health Care Management (CHCM), a healthcare consulting firm. RBC is an operational blueprint for improving safety, quality, the patient experience, employee engagement, and financial performance and advances the culture of healthcare organizations by focusing on three key relationships: relationship with self, with colleagues, and with patients/families, according to CHCM.