I am a hardened hospital-based physician who has seen many patients pass on under my care over the last 42 years. Yet I could not stop my tears as I read Susan and Ani's piercing piece over personal loss (please read on in this thread). Almost 40 years ago, my father, himself a professor of Pathology & Microbiology, passed on following brain trauma in the hands of, unfortunately, an team of neurosurgeons that were unknown strangers to our family in a new city, as we were shooed aways from my father's bedside during rounds. Susan's struggle mirrored the struggle of my mother and myself.
I have always practiced from both sides of the hospital bed and welcomed, even requested, the attendants, to join me at the bed. The practice of shooing away the relatives / attendants is a throwback into the dark ages. I have made it a practice to ask relatives and attendants, besides the patient, about the welfare of their loved one.
Thank you, Susan and Ani for unburdening my heart and mind. God bless you both. Their piece and URL is attached in the next square / column of this thread.
I advise all medical practitioners to read this piece.
In September 2016, my husband, Bob Hassmiller, fell off his bicycle and spent the last 10 days of his life in the ICU. While advances in medical technology have undoubtedly improved care and extended lives, the machines that kept him alive made me feel distanced from the medical professionals who decided his future.
Despite my own health literacy as a nurse, I felt discounted during rounding and decision-making. Bob’s providers stood outside his room and talked at computer screens about data points, rather than meeting with us to discuss our goals and needs. I wanted to engage with Bob’s providers, to feel heard by them, to contribute to medical rounds and be kept informed of his prognosis, because I rarely left his side. Soon enough, I did insist on being included in rounds, but clearly it was not the norm — I never saw any other family members engaging in this way, and a nurse told me that family members are not invited to rounds.
After my husband’s death, I returned to work at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation determined to improve the care experience for patients and their families. Fortunately, my desire aligned with the foundation’s mission to build a Culture of Health to enable all people to live healthier lives and experience greater well-being.
https://catalyst.nejm.org/patient-engagement-both-sides-bed/#comment-49278
- Badges
- Science topic