My 6yr old had open heart surgery last year. As a paediatrician myself, stepping over onto the other side was hard.
5 things I learnt from being a parent on a paediatric ward.
A 🧵 /1
5 things I learnt from being a parent on a paediatric ward.
A 🧵 /1
1. I have a name.
Being referred to as "mum" is fine, I get it and did it a million times, but there was one nurse who used my first name and it meant the world to me at a time when I felt really vulnerable.
I felt seen.
Learn parents' names and use them /2
Being referred to as "mum" is fine, I get it and did it a million times, but there was one nurse who used my first name and it meant the world to me at a time when I felt really vulnerable.
I felt seen.
Learn parents' names and use them /2
2. Always acknowledge the patient & their family.
Whilst on ICU a group of 10 healthcare professionals did the ward round. They stood muttering at the end of the bed then walked off without explaining or acknowledging me. I left the unit & cried.
Families must come first. /3
Whilst on ICU a group of 10 healthcare professionals did the ward round. They stood muttering at the end of the bed then walked off without explaining or acknowledging me. I left the unit & cried.
Families must come first. /3
3. Parents need to be shown around the ward. Where can they shower, get a cuppa? How do they charge their phone?
I had never done this as a paediatrician making the assumption that the nurses had, but what if you are the first person that sees the family?
Make them feel safe.
I had never done this as a paediatrician making the assumption that the nurses had, but what if you are the first person that sees the family?
Make them feel safe.
4. Sleep
The night before my daughter's surgery I didn't sleep. Anxiety, alarms from other kids' monitors in the bay, unnecessary obs on my daughter.
Think about how you can reduce the impact of sleep deprivation eg the need for obs at 2am, how loud are you talking, lighting /5
The night before my daughter's surgery I didn't sleep. Anxiety, alarms from other kids' monitors in the bay, unnecessary obs on my daughter.
Think about how you can reduce the impact of sleep deprivation eg the need for obs at 2am, how loud are you talking, lighting /5
5. Talking
After my daughter went into theatre, I returned to the ward to get my stuff. The staff were all busy but one of the drs saw me, blotchy eyed & terrified.
He made me a cuppa and sat and chatted.
Anyone can help a parent feel held. It's not doctoring, it's humanity. /6
After my daughter went into theatre, I returned to the ward to get my stuff. The staff were all busy but one of the drs saw me, blotchy eyed & terrified.
He made me a cuppa and sat and chatted.
Anyone can help a parent feel held. It's not doctoring, it's humanity. /6
As health professionals, we can get caught up in service provision, bogged down by the endless list of jobs
As a parent, having a child in hospital is stressful & upsetting. Unfamiliarity, a different language, helplessness, lack of control.
We need to acknowledge this. /7
As a parent, having a child in hospital is stressful & upsetting. Unfamiliarity, a different language, helplessness, lack of control.
We need to acknowledge this. /7
You don't need to have had children yourself to understand this.
It's about tapping into your own humanity & vulnerability.
Patients & their families MUST be at the forefront of every contact.
This stuff makes a difference.
#MedTwitter
/END
It's about tapping into your own humanity & vulnerability.
Patients & their families MUST be at the forefront of every contact.
This stuff makes a difference.
#MedTwitter
/END
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