Overcoming challenges with implementing the Get-To-Know-Me Board to humanize ICU care: a quality improvement project

Back to news list

Source: Frontiers Medicine

Original: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmed.2026.1777312...

Published: 2026-02-26T00:00:00Z

The intensive care unit (ICU) is an environment where patients are often seen primarily through their diagnoses rather than being seen as individuals[3]. The Get-To-Know-Me Board (GTKMB) is a humanizing tool designed to emphasize the personal qualities of patients and promote person-centered care[3]. Despite GTKMB being considered valuable in promoting humanized care and communication, its use rate in institutions remains low[3]. A quality improvement project tested stepwise interventions including reminders, checklists, visual magnets and educational brochures to increase use of the GTKMB[3]. The most significant improvement came from reminders and checklists[3]. The main barriers to using GTKMB included unclear ownership, incorrect timing, and inconsistent integration into the workflow[3]. Sustainable implementation requires multidisciplinary involvement and integration of GTKMB into daily care routines[3].