unsatisfied relatives

[panwaranjika]

i wonder how often u deal with unsatisfied relatives . many times patients attendents go violent in this part of the world on the death of their relatives . sometimes they can even gather a mob to create violence . in my hospital if a newborn is brought in a serious condition i have to make sure that the attendents are sensible enough to understand the situation !

[JACK]

Communication is the answer.

Constant contact with the family throughout the course of the baby's course in the NICU builds a strong bridge.

Always tell the truth even if it sounds bad. Never give false hopes.

Call the family to inform new developments in the course of their baby - whether it is good news or bad news.

Involve them in the management of their baby. Let them be involved in decision making. This empowerment gives them a sense of ownership of the management of their baby. Share with them your stories of success as well as stories of failures.

Despite all these you will still encounter irrational families whom no amount of effort on your part will satisfy. This is the time to call security !!! ;-)

[panwaranjika]

thats true . i think communication is the key . how often do u face such i situation in ur hospitals ?

[JACK]

I dont have exact figures but 20% would be a fair approximation of the number of families we consider difficult to handle. They usually require extra sessions and prolonged counseling. Sometimes presence of additional family members may help in getting your message across. Sometimes involvement of other senior staff in the discussions may help in allaying apprehensions.

N.B. On a lighter note ....

Its usually the 20% who are responsible for 80% of the problems. Pareto principle LINK )

[Stefan Johansson]

i wonder how often u deal with unsatisfied relatives

Difficult question, it depends what you put into the word "unsatisfied"!

I try to think about parents as collaborators. As JACK wrote, communication is the key to success, but despite all possible efforts I have also experienced many occasions when we have not been able to get on well with parents.

One needs to feel convinced that provided care is professional (i.e. have good confidence) and that one does what's in the best interest of the infant. If parents do not see this, I personally feel that I can take that. Or rather, have to take it as a part of myself acting professional (thereby not saying that I do not moan in the staff lunch room...)

I have not been a parent in an NICU setting myself, but I can feel empathy for parents, when their psychological pressure is released as anger towards care, technology, staff etc-etc. Their situation is hard. I often wonder how well parents accommodate among bleeping machines connected to their small child.