Family ties
It’s time for another one of those insider tips on how to make sure your family member is provided with the best care in the hospital. If I were only able to give one recommendation to people in this regard, it would be this: Be an advocate for your family. If the medical staff knows that family members are actively involved and watching, there is less chance that your loved one will be lost in the mix or that mistakes will be made. If the nurse is attaching the patient to the wrong type or dose of medication on an IV, tell me which patient is going to be better off: the one that has family checking these matters or the one that has a family that assumes everything will always go ok, without mistakes? Medical mistakes happen all the time, which is why I always say that two sets of eyes are better than one.
The average person is usually intimidated in “bothering” a doctor because he/she is busy. While it is true that doctors are busy, they should be available to answer concerns you may have about your loved one. But how do you get in touch with them when they make rounds at 5 am or 6am and then are gone for the rest of the day? Good question.
The technique I have seen work best is for a family member to write a note on a small piece of paper saying, “Attention Dr. Smith! Important! Patient’s son requests that you contact him as soon as possible regarding his mother’s care. Phone number is 555-5555.” Request that this note be taped onto the FRONT of the medical chart so there is no way the doctor can miss it. If you are not there to write the note yourself, call the unit and ask someone to write it for you. Trust me, it works.
If for some strange reason, the doctor does not call back in a reasonable time period, call back and ask to speak to the fellow or resident that is following the patient. Often times, what happens is that the resident or fellow (terms for doctors in earlier stages of training) follow a set number of patients and answer to the main physician, who is known as the attending. You should try and contact the attending for the most important matters, but developing a good relationship with residents and fellows can be very helpful because they have the ear of the attending.
The bottom line here is to make your presence known. Also, don’t be shy in advocating for certain lab tests or procedures to be ordered. I have seen time and time and again where a doctor orders a procedure only because the family pressured him/her to do so. Sometimes, useful information comes of this. Other times not. But read up on the condition of your family member so you can be informed. Lastly, while I am encouraging family members to be advocates, there is a fine line between advocacy and alienating yourself from the staff. One simply needs to use common sense here and use good judgment.
The average person is usually intimidated in “bothering” a doctor because he/she is busy. While it is true that doctors are busy, they should be available to answer concerns you may have about your loved one. But how do you get in touch with them when they make rounds at 5 am or 6am and then are gone for the rest of the day? Good question.
The technique I have seen work best is for a family member to write a note on a small piece of paper saying, “Attention Dr. Smith! Important! Patient’s son requests that you contact him as soon as possible regarding his mother’s care. Phone number is 555-5555.” Request that this note be taped onto the FRONT of the medical chart so there is no way the doctor can miss it. If you are not there to write the note yourself, call the unit and ask someone to write it for you. Trust me, it works.
If for some strange reason, the doctor does not call back in a reasonable time period, call back and ask to speak to the fellow or resident that is following the patient. Often times, what happens is that the resident or fellow (terms for doctors in earlier stages of training) follow a set number of patients and answer to the main physician, who is known as the attending. You should try and contact the attending for the most important matters, but developing a good relationship with residents and fellows can be very helpful because they have the ear of the attending.
The bottom line here is to make your presence known. Also, don’t be shy in advocating for certain lab tests or procedures to be ordered. I have seen time and time and again where a doctor orders a procedure only because the family pressured him/her to do so. Sometimes, useful information comes of this. Other times not. But read up on the condition of your family member so you can be informed. Lastly, while I am encouraging family members to be advocates, there is a fine line between advocacy and alienating yourself from the staff. One simply needs to use common sense here and use good judgment.
posted by MedFriendly | 8:04 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home