Just yesterday, a new patient was admitted. As we transferred the patient from her wheelchair, weighed her , then started her physical assessment. Her daughter had her notebook in hand. Asking each of us our names and she would write it down as she also wrote down what was being done with her mother. Mind you their were 3 of us in the room assisting with the transfer, assessment and settling of the patient. The daughter was friendly. Internally, I was saying to myself, oh oh not another one of those....
I walked to the desk and casually mentioned to another co-worker. Don't families realize when they take those notebooks out and start writing how it makes us feel? To me it seems hostile. It does not make me feel like oh boy I want to go into that room more often. My internal side , warns me, this is a room to avoid, this is a family looking for trouble.
I do not believe this is the message families want to convey. I know they are trying to be proactive in the care their loved ones receive. None the less. I can not help how it makes me feel. It makes me feel somehow like the enemy.
How does it make you feel, when you witness those notebooks and the families writing, writing in them?
Specializes in Management, Emergency, Psych, Med Surg.
This does not concern me at all. I give them my card (as charge we have business cards) and let them know they can come to me if they have questions. I do sometimes give them copies of their lab values to take to their primary care physicians and I take a lot of time to explain to them what the plan of care is and what their medications are for. Good communication. It really helps them feel comfortable when they know what is going on. You never know what their prior experiences with hospitals have been. I usually see this type of thing when they have had bad experiences in the past.
diane227, LPN, RN
1,941 Posts
This does not concern me at all. I give them my card (as charge we have business cards) and let them know they can come to me if they have questions. I do sometimes give them copies of their lab values to take to their primary care physicians and I take a lot of time to explain to them what the plan of care is and what their medications are for. Good communication. It really helps them feel comfortable when they know what is going on. You never know what their prior experiences with hospitals have been. I usually see this type of thing when they have had bad experiences in the past.