This recent Wall Street Journal article offers advice to families in interacting with hospital nursing staff:
- Buy candy, cookies, fresh fruit, or a treat for the nursing staff.
- “Even more important than candy is to ask questions when you don’t understand something, and ask how you can help with your loved one’s care.”
- Be an active participant in your loved one’s care. “Family members should never feel too intimidated to question a nurse’s actions if they suspect an error or safety risk.”
- Don’t challenge medical expertise, such as demanding an increase in pain medication above the prescribed dose. “When families get stressed they sometimes go outside their role. They want to determine care or start trying to dictate things. You have to trust the doctor had reasons, or the nurse knows when to increase the dose.”
- Offer guidance on your loved one’s preferences that will make caring for them easier, such as taking medication with yogurt.
- Rather than confronting the nurses, quietly seek out the nurse manager and express your concerns.
See the full article: www.wsj.com/articles/how-to-get-the-best-care-from-the-hospital-nursing-staff-1467649623
Life / Health / The Informed Patient
How to Get the Best Care From the Hospital Nursing Staff
A family’s rapport with the nursing staff can improve the care a patient receives; tips for cultivating the relationship that go beyond baking brownies
Wall Street Journal
By Laura Landro
July 4, 2016
Robin