Listen!

• 3/20/2010
• Author: Jim Parker
• Category: Perspectives on Patient Safety Blog
• 13593 Views
• 0 Comments
• 

My nephew Joshua struggles with cerebral palsy. For the time being, he requires a wheelchair and other equipment just to get through a typical day. He is unable to perform many simple tasks that most of us take for granted. It is inspiring to observe the grace with which he meets these challenges.
 
Joshua needs a lot of health care. He is sick often, and even when he doesn’t have strep throat or the flu he still has multiple health care appointments per week. He has been hospitalized more than once this year, and it’s only March. Trips to the emergency department are becoming virtually habitual.
 
Many times I have listened to my sister and her partner recount the difficulties they have had communicating with some of the numerous health care providers that have been working with Josh. Most provide excellent care, treatment, and services, and are responsive to the needs of the patient and his family members. However, every now and again they meet a physician or nurse or other personnel who just won’t listen.  
 
In many cases, the provider seems to have an attitude that says, “I’m the expert. I don’t need to listen. I have seen all this before.” However, many patients who have difficulty verbalizing their needs give signals that only family members can interpret. When it comes to knowing the patient, the family are the experts and providers must make the time to listen respectfully. The information a family member provides can have a significant impact on the patient’s care. The best practice is to consider the patient and family as full-fledged members of the care team. Family members often have insights into a patient’s condition that would never occur to even the most compassionate health care provider—because he or she does not know the patient.
 
I just sent my sister a copy of Joint Commission Resources newest consumer book,
The Smart Parent’s Guide to Getting Your Kids Through Checkups, Illnesses, and Accident
by Jennifer Trachtenberg, M.D., The Joint Commission, and RealAge.

After reading my copy of the book I felt it was definitely a valuable tool for parents who want to be more involved in their children’s health care and communicate more effectively with the professionals who provide that care. As a parent, I know that few moments are more alarming or uncertain than when your child is injured or sick. I am grateful to have a guide that explains how to choose a pediatrician, or which emergency department to go to, or what check-ups and preventive or wellness care is needed. This book is an excellent resource for families; it not only educates, but empowers us to speak up–which can make all the difference for a loved one.