Patient Communication: Picking Up Where Medicine Leaves Off

We've all seen patients who were far beyond the reach of medical treatment suddenly defy the odds and recover. We've also seen patients who were well on the road to recovery, take a turn for the worse for seemingly no reason at all. No matter what the technology or how terrific we are at our jobs, sometimes medicine just isn't enough.

Case in point, a few years ago, I saw a woman in her sixties after she had had a moderate CVA. No matter what her doctors did for her, she still wouldn't regain consciousness ? defying explanation. Her daughter was thousands of miles away at the time and when the doctor reached her, he told her that her mother mighty not live long enough for her to get to her side. After several minutes, the daughter finally convinced the head nurse to put a phone up to her mother's ear, so she could talk to her. The nurse put the phone by the patient's ear and could hear her daughter talking to her, telling her that she was on her way and that everything was going to be fine. The moment her patient heard her daughter's voice, the nurse watched in amazement as her vitals stabilized, her eye lids began to flutter and her eyes opened, looking straight up at the nurse! Two weeks later, she was out of the hospital and on her way to rehab.

That's the miracle of communications.

Whether a family member, a friend or just a familiar face, our patients need to have the people they love surrounding them, when they're ill, in pain, or afraid. As caregivers, it's part of our job to realize that patients might be too ill or physically unable to initiate the contact they so desperately need, on their own.

I wish that were the end of the story. A few years later, the same woman was injured after a bad fall and taken to a different hospital. Despite being in stable and then good condition, a few days later a lack of the most basic medical care caused the woman to spiral into critical condition. When the hospital called her daughter to notify her of her mother's hospitalization days later, she learned that her mother was now unconscious and may not survive. While trying to get a flight back, she begged the nursing staff to put a phone next to her mother's ear, so she could talk to her, possibly for the last time. But at this hospital, the nurses and doctor refused. In fact her doctor said that she was suddenly opening her eyes and looking around. But despite her daughter's pleas to let her talk to her mom while she could still hear her, he tells her that he has no way to get a phone to an ICU patient. "We'll try and figure something out in the morning," he says. Unfortunately the patient didn't have that much time and she died hours later, never again hearing her daughter's voice.

The next time you're caring for a patient with compromised communication ability, take a moment to see their surroundings from his perspective.

· If your patient can speak, is the telephone close enough to them?

· Do they need help dialing, or able to see well enough to read a number out of their address book?

· If your patient is unable to hold a telephone would they benefit from a speakerphone?

· If your patient can't speak, have a patient representative or volunteer ask them to write the name of someone that they would like to have called for them and hold the phone up to their ear to facilitate communication.

· For patients who cannot speak, patient Internet access can be a real lifesaver, because they can type an email message or have one typed for them.

· Is your patient unable to see or unable to hear? Then take a moment to call a department or caregiver who can bridge those problems to enhance communication.

· Since many hospitals still don't have a means of patient communication in the ICU, you may have to get a bit more creative for patients in care units.

Many hospitals now have low emission wireless phones that can be used in critical care units. Wireless web pads also work well, or what about a regular phone, kept at the nurses' station that can be plugged into an outlet in the patient rooms when needed. Communication isn't just a patient's right ? for many it can be their only link to the outside world, or a life-renewing source of strength and love.

Combine that with terrific medical care and watch the miracles flow.

For tools you and your staff can use to facilitate patient communication download a free copy of the Seven Steps to Successful Notification System, in PDF format, at the Next of Kin Education Project web site. Along with the Information Kit, you'll find patient chart pages and notification worksheets using the Seven Steps, that you can purchase and customize to use as part of your own charting system. You'll find them on the NOKEP web site along with reminder products like mouse pads, posters and coffee mugs, to keep the Seven Steps at your staff's fingertips.

Laura Greenwald, CEO/The Next of Kin Education Project nokepinfokit@juno.com

The Seven Steps Information Kit can be downloaded free of charge at http://clik.to/7steps The Reminder Products can be purchased at our NOKEP store http://www.cafeshops.com/7steps

---

The Highway to Health - Bumped Heads

I recently had a reader send me this comment:"As a full-time dad I have to deal with just about every minor illness my two children pickup, everything... Read More

New Treatment for Peripheral Neuropathy

Millions of Americans suffer with Peripheral Neuropathy and until recently there was no specific treatment available. Peripheral Neuropathy is often associated with Diabetes, but can occur on... Read More

Utah Drug Rehab: Searching For A Therapist

Finding the right treatment for any person suffering with a drug abuse problem can be a difficult task - where do you start, how do you know... Read More

How to Make Changes in Your Healthcare Organization

For many of us change is a difficult process. In organizations like healthcare it seems to advance at a snail's pace sometimes. There is a need for... Read More

Death by Fluoride

A wee bit of fluoride makes teeth and dentists happy, we're told. Dr. Happy Tooth's smiley face turns into a frown when his favorite decay buster is... Read More

Lunesta Revealed: 7 Things You Must Know Before You Buy Lunesta Prescriptions

Lunesta is a newly released sleeping pill. Marketed as a revolutionary sleep aid, Lunesta is the only medication approved by the FDA for long term treatment of... Read More

The Truth about C Reactive Protein and Cholesterol Lowering Drugs

You might disagree, but hear me out on this...The drug companies know what they want you to think. They want you to think that the only reliable... Read More

Benign Tumors Of The Cervix

Endocervical polypsEndocervical polyps are the most common benign neoplasms of the cervix. Please note that the word neoplasm refers to a cancerous growth. They are focal hyperplastic... Read More

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome - Steroid Injection for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

What is the role of steroid injection in carpal tunnel syndrome?Injection of corticosteroid into the carpal tunnel has been used as a treatment for some years. But... Read More

The Trouble with Tranqs

There's a whole group of drugs out there called benzodiazepines.They are tranquillisers, or sedatives. They include such well-known names as Valium (diazepam), Ativan (lorazepam), Librium (chlordiazepoxide), Tranxene... Read More

Your Kidney Function Really Matters: A Lighter Look at What You Need to Know to Prevent Adverse Dru

When you (or loved ones) are taking prescription or over the counter medications...there is a lot you should be worried about, and a lot that your pharmacist... Read More

?Do you suffer from Osteoarthritis? Here?s how to tell!?

The most common type of arthritis is osteoarthritis (OA). This type of arthritis is commonly referred to as wear and tear arthritis or degenerative arthritis."While this condition... Read More

Spin Control: What to Do When Youre Dizzy

Dizzy Dean, the great baseball pitcher of the 1930s-1940s, once quipped, "The doctors x-rayed my head and found nothing."That is as good an analogy as any in... Read More

Technology Over Drugs for Stress Related Tension Disorders

As much as 95% of the population suffers from some form of reoccurring stress and tension related headaches.Although not normally debilitating these headaches affect work productivity and... Read More

What You Should Know About Mixing Medications and Diet...

I had a call the other day from a potential client in a serious situation. He was young and had been diagnosed with CAD (Coronary Artery Disease),... Read More

Causes and Types of Cerebral Palsy

In the case of Cerebral Palsy there is no one cause of this severe condition. There are many things that may increase the risk of this condition... Read More

Generic Medicines

Generic DrugsGeneric Online Pharmacies started making a big impact on the net since the mid to late 90's. This has allowed the prescription drug buyer to save... Read More

Thimerosal: Autism and Mercury Poisoning Side Effects?

Thimerosal is a preservative that is added to vaccines (has been since the 1930s) that is almost half (49.6% by weight) mercury. Preservatives are added to vaccines... Read More

Generating Pharmaceutical Sales before Marketing Authorization

When a patient has a serious illness and there is no approved drug available, the physician may want to try one which has not been authorized for... Read More

Food for Thought

Depression is a disorder marked by sadness, low energy, impaired concentration, and feelings of dejection. Some people believe that depression is normal. Hectic daily activities and the... Read More

First Responder Human Hibernation Units

In the next few years paramedics, first responders and military medics will have instant hibernation devices. These devices will come in small canisters of the gas to... Read More

Generic Drug: Its Pros and Cons

A generic drug can be defined as an identical, or bioequivalent to a brand name drug in its dosage form, safety, strength, route of administration, quality, performance... Read More

Pharmaceuticals: The Next Frontier in America?s War on Drugs

America's war on drugs, which has been fought in the opium fields of Afghanistan and the cocaine plantations of Columbia, will have to reinvent itself to combat... Read More

ADHD - Are there Treatment Options?

As an ADD coach I am often asked about the treatment options available for Attention Deficit Disorder. Generally when someone says "ADD" the first thing that will... Read More

Lunesta For Insomnia: A Guide To Compare Generic Lunesta ( Eszopiclone )

We all know that there's no such thing as cheap Lunesta, but if you'd like to save money without sacrificing quality, you may want to buy Eszopiclone... Read More

The Unique Benefits of Medical Adjustable Beds

With more medical advantages, an adjustable bed finds more functions in a hospital or a nursing home. It provides relief to people who are bed-ridden or those... Read More