Feedback from Parents
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At Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center we get feedback from families about their experience at the medical center through telephone surveys. Below are some responses to the question, "What are the most important things Children's Hospital did to make you and your child's experience a good experience?" - They made us the center of the treatment. They talked to us, made sure we understood. They made us feel like we were in charged. They included us in rounds. They made sure the door was opened for whatever we wanted.
- Including me in the rounds. Because I had the opportunity to interface with all of the doctors treating my child, to give my input and get theirs on the best ways of treating him. They made me feel like they cared what mom thought. They made sure I was there and asked about my opinion.
- Involving the parents in doctor's rounds. The doctors were good in keeping me informed on what would happen next to keep me going in the right direction so my son could be released and come home.
- They allowed us to be with the doctors when they made rounds and allowed me to take part in my child's care.
- The doctors doing rounds in the room was wonderful. We always knew what was going on; we were there when decisions were made; we knew everything that was going on with my child care.
- They included me in the doctor rounds and I thought that was very impressive. I felt the doctors and nurses kept me informed. They didn't use huge terminology, instead using words I would know. I felt I could ask them if I didn't understand and would get my answer.
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Hearing from physicians that family-centered rounds are better is important, but even more so is hearing it from families. Below is feedback from two mothers whose children were seen at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.
Feedback from Shannon
"I must say the nurses and doctors covering my son's care have thoroughly explained each procedure and recommendations. I really enjoy the way they do rounds. I wish our hospital would take this into account. It definately eases fear and a lot of misunderstandings by just being involved in the rounds process. When they come to the room and explain things and you get to have imput into what happens to your child makes you feel like you have a little bit of power in the decision making process. Nothing bothers me more than to have a team make the decision for a patient without the family involved. Many of times I have witnessed first hand a team make a decision and walk in to tell a family this is what they are going to do, instead of explaining it and letting them have some say in their own care."
Feedback from Debbie
"As a parent of a 16-year-old multiply-disabled child, family-centered rounds are one of the most important things that needs to occur during my child's inpatient stay. Family-centered rounds allow me to be a part of the team in making the decisions as to his care while in the hospital and for his return home.
"When your child is admitted to the hospital you as a parent, the primary care giver, and the one who knows the child better than anyone. You feel a very empty spot and a loss of control while your son or daughter is in the hospital. With family-centered rounds I can remain involved in my child's care and the decision making during his stay. As a parent I can also provide insight to the doctors as to how my child is liable to react to certain situations. Also as a parent hearing all of the discussions, even if the doctors are unsure as to the best way to proceed, is often good for a parent to know and then the parent better understands as to why a test is being ordered or something is not being done as quickly as they would like. Oftentimes it could be the questions or the knowledge of the parent that may provide the best link as to what way to proceed.
"It is also important to realize that treating the illness that my child is hospitalized for is not the only thing that must occur during my child's hospital stay. As a parent I must be comfortable with the care that must be provided upon discharge.
"During family-centered rounds the parent, as a partner of the team, can share insight into how the child is doing emotionally, pain-wise and how they feel the child is doing physically. With this constant interaction, the parent is part of the team.
"The teaching of how to care for your child upon discharge is much easier if the parent has been involved in the process of the decision making from the beginning. The one thing that doctors must remember is that they may know more about the illness of why the child is hospitalized but the parent is the one who knows the child the best and can allow insight into how best to approach many obstacles that occur during an admission."
Feedback from Joy
"I believe family-centered rounds are crucial to improving the outcome of the patients at Cincinnati Children's because they foster an environment in which everyone is recognized as part of the medical team. Parents, or other primary family members, can provide critical information regarding their child, including what their baseline is, how they respond to pain and illness, and the exact circumstances that brought them into the hospital in the first place. In the case of a mysterious illness, these details are critical to determining the cause and therefore the best treatment. It is important for doctors and students to recognize the value of this information and learn how to draw it out of parents in a non-threatening way.
"Many positive results can come from incorporating family-centered rounds into your standards of practice. If the medical team actively seeks the input and opinions of parents, this will open a valuable dialog in which parents are empowered to ask questions, seek the understanding they need and actively involve themselves in their child's care. They will feel much more confident in their ability to care for their child when they go home, as well.
"The parents are the ones who will have to do any follow-through required after the child's release, so it is crucial that they understand what they must do and are confident in their ability to do this. These parents may have to provide an accurate medical history in the future, which they can only do if they fully understand what happens during a hospitalization.
"Prohibiting parent involvement in rounds does exactly the opposite. I have been prevented from even listening to rounds on my daughter at Cincinnati Children's. This was very unnerving to me as a parent. It actually eroded my confidence in the doctors caring for my daughter by sparking questions in my mind such as:
- Are they telling me everything?
- Do they think I can't handle certain details related to her condition or treatment?
- Do they think I'm too stupid to understand what they are talking about?
I am an intelligent mother and I strive to learn all I can about my child's condition in order to best care for her at home. Being turned away effectively squelched any dialog between her doctors and us.
