Being in the hospital alone and not knowing what is happening is scary and stressful. Patients and families need information to know they are not forgotten, especially when the healthcare team doesn’t know what is happening.

As healthcare professionals, we know it takes the care team time to figure out what is happening. Helping the patient and the family realize this is integral to our job.

So often, ‘we’ the staff take for granted that all questions have been answered because the hospitalist talked to the family on rounds. In reality, the opposite happens. When a doctor talks to the family and the patient, more questions arise because, most times, they DO NOT understand what is happening to/for them. They nod and understand, but often, they don’t have any more insight into the situation as healthcare is stressful. All they know is that things are so slow, and waiting becomes challenging, especially if the patient is anxious and complex. Many are not used to asking for help and try to ‘just wait’ for more information, but it never seems to come as the hours tick by.

It is essential to encourage the patient and the family to ask questions – even if it is the same question they asked before. Healthcare professionals need to understand that family members and patients are not healthcare professionals; they are not trained in the processes or operations of the hospital as the staff is. They are lost in a fast-paced environment where everyone is running around, on the phone, or rushing to another patient’s room as they wait. They see confusion, assuming care is uncoordinated and that they are forgotten in the chaos.

I had such an experience recently and wanted to share some tips so that others can use them or at least examine how they engage patients and families as part of the team.

1. Listen to the patient and the family to determine and understand their needs. If you have to engage others, such as the charge nurse, the hospitalist, managers, and others in leadership, to sort through the process, do that. This shows that we are working as a team.
2. Utilize case managers, hospital advocates, or the patient experience team when you have a complex/challenging patient. They have a global view of the process and can help explain things if the floor staff are too busy.
3. Try to set realistic expectations. It is honest to agree with the patient/family that the processes can be slow and tedious. We know they are, and we must help them through them.
4. Encourage them to remind staff they are still waiting if nothing happens after an hour or two.
5. For managers and supervisors, reinforce to your staff how important communication is with patients and their families.

Together, we can help improve care delivery and the patient experience. We, the healthcare team, will also feel better as we know we provide the best care possible.

Thanks for reading. I am interested in your comments about how you and your teams are humanizing the healthcare system. Please share your thoughts in the chat and let me know some of the strategies you have used.

Have a good week!