Abstract
Error in clinician–parent communication is not a new issue in pediatrics. It has been the impetus behind national initiatives, namely, family-centered rounds. While family-centered rounds have proven effective, their success is dependent on the family being present during rounds. This does not always occur during prolonged hospitalizations, particularly in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Current communication methods with parents not present during rounds rely heavily on the provider’s prerogative and ability to multitask. Thus, errors in communication are commonplace and are largely accepted as inevitable. For the sake of the parents of a patient in the NICU, a high-fidelity communication system is urgently needed. NICUs must move beyond the telephone and use modern innovations in communication technology.
Highlights
Error in clinician–parent communication is not a new issue in pediatrics
As I learned later, there is a cohort of premature babies at each Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) who have progressed past the many hurdles they face in their first weeks of life
We would calculate his Calories per kilogram per day, total fluid intake, and overnight weight change. We presented this data on rounds with the attending dietitian and nurse. With all of this time and expertise spent on Dawson each and every day, how did this adverse event occur? As I reflect on this experience, I cannot help but think that we were, in some ways, treating only one patient
Summary
“Feeder grower, nothing to do.” It was the Sunday night before my first shift on my acting internship in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), and my eyes scanned the sign out. The morning when I walked into Dawson’s room during my usual preparation for rounds, I was greeted by a pinched expression on Dawson’s mother’s face It was like the dam inside her that had been holding back the emotions of watching her newborn live in the hospital had suddenly cracked. The medical and nursing teams responded quickly, and after several conversations with Dawson’s team, Dawson’s mother switched from anger to relief as she had an opportunity to agree on the discharge date and felt empowered and informed After he had spent 60 days in the NICU, I saw Dawson carried out of the hospital by his beaming mom on my last day of the rotation
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