Hi, it's Patrik Hutzel from INTENSIVECAREHOTLINE.COM , where we instantly improve the lives of Families of critically ill Patients in Intensive Care, so that you can have real power, real control and so that you can influence decision making fast, even if you're not a doctor or a nurse in Intensive Care!

In last week's blog I've shown you "How to control your emotions quickly whilst your loved one is critically ill in Intensive Care and why it's a shortcut to control, power and influence!" You can read, watch or listen to last week's update here.

In this week's blog I want to show you "Five STRAIGHTFORWARD ways to improve Family satisfaction in Intensive Care!"

Family satisfaction in Intensive Care is hard to measure and is also hard to achieve. One might say that the majority of Patients, in fact, around 90- 95 % of all Intensive Care admissions are leaving Intensive Care alive and that's great news! So why should those Families be dissatisfied?

And the reality is that those Families often aren't dissatisfied.

But what about the situations where it's unlikely that Families are going to be satisfied, given the sometimes difficult and heartbreaking circumstances their and their critically ill loved one are in?

And here, I really want to look at the situations where critically ill Patients are in difficult, unpredictable and volatile situations such as

• If they are very unstable and in very critical conditions
• If they are in life threatening situations
• If they are in Intensive Care for long-term treatments and long-term stays
• when critically ill Patients approach their end of life in Intensive Care

Everything else I believe is secondary, as most Patients and their respective Families in Intensive Care who are leaving Intensive Care alive and in a relatively short and acceptable period of time are going to have some level of satisfaction.

The reason I do want to look at these situations in particular and how Family satisfaction can be improved is that during all of those situations that I mentioned above, the level of fear, frustration, struggle, overwhelm, vulnerability and the level of challenges Families are dealing with is huge!

Especially during those situations the level of control, power and influence is diminished or non- existent for most or for all of those Families. Therefore, I also know from experience, after more than 15 years Intensive Care nursing in three different countries that the Intensive Care team during those situations wants to make sure that"they are pulling all the strings" and that "they are calling the shots" by not only positioning themselves, but by also positioning the diagnosis and prognosis of critically ill Patients depending on what's happening "behind the scenes" and also depending on the politics, the intrigue and the psychology that is at play in an Intensive Care Unit.

Because what Families of critically ill Patients don't know most of the time is that Intensive Care Units have many other competing interests, besides treating and "curing" critically ill Patients.

So let's therefore look at "Five straightforward ways to improve Family satisfaction in Intensive Care!", as they relate to the situations that I mentioned above, where Families have little or no perceived control, power and influence.

1.       Transparency

Transparency is paramount and yet, especially when Families and their critically ill loved ones are in situations where the situation is difficult, volatile and challenging, the Intensive Care team may not necessarily be transparent and they may only tell Families "half of the truth". The Intensive Care team, certainly has no interest in letting Families of critically ill Patients look "behind the scenes".

What do I mean by that?

A recurring theme in Intensive Care is that if the Intensive Care team is telling you and your Family that your critically ill loved one is going to die or that a "limitation of treatment" or a "withdrawal of treatment" is "in the best interest" of your critically ill loved one, the Intensive Care team's positioning might be a direct result of competing interests such as

• The financial interests and the perceived financial viability of your loved one's stay and treatment in Intensive Care
• The line up of other admissions awaiting a scarce, precious and expensive bed in Intensive Care that might directly compete with the treatment of your critically ill loved one(usually, a bed in Intensive Care never gets "cold" and never stays empty for too long)
• The research activities and the research interests that are going on in Intensive Care. Let's say your critically ill loved one is a long-term stay in Intensive Care and again, the Intensive Care team suggests to "limit or withdraw treatment", the Intensive Care team might not be interested in continuing treatment, because your critically ill loved one may not fit into any research category and your critically ill loved one may therefore not "attract" 6, 7 or even 8 figure funding for research activities. The direct result is that the Intensive Care team has a much higher interest in treating Patients who fall into a research category and who attract that funding

Therefore transparency is absolutely paramount and if you and your Family are not asking the right questions and if you are scared and intimidated by the Intensive Care team, the situation will never be transparent and your critically ill loved one may not receive the best and full treatment and you and your Family are kept at arm's length so to speak!

2.       Involvement in decision making

Now the bottom line is that the Intensive Care team wants to call the shots when it comes to decision making. They often couldn't care less about what you and your Family want.

The Intensive Care team presents you with "facts" that they twist and turn to their liking and that's often how they position your critically ill loved one's prognosis and diagnosis and that's therefore how they position themselves.

The bleak reality is that Families of critically ill Patients are not or are very poorly positioned, because they are generally speaking so overwhelmed, frustrated and challenged by the experience of having a loved one critically ill in Intensive Care that they have really no idea how to position themselves.

Therefore, if you and your family want to be involved in decision making, you need to work out your positioning and you need to position yourself well mentally and emotionally.

After you've achieved that you need to actively participate in the decision making around the treatment your critically ill loved one is receiving or not receiving. After all it's your loved one who's critically ill and not the Intensive Care team's loved one. And with the knowledge that you have by now about what's happening "behind the scenes" in Intensive Care you have every reason to be involved in decision making!

Don't be intimidated by the Intensive Care team's "perceived" power, because it's only perceived after all and it's not even real.

3.       Education and engagement

The next straightforward point to improve family satisfaction in Intensive Care is your education and engagement in the Intensive Care environment!

Again, the Intensive Care team might be telling you about and filling you into some of the things that are happening around your critically ill loved one, however the Intensive Care team often only scratches the surface and they often don't tell you about the details that are happening around the care and the treatment of your critically ill loved one. You and your Family therefore need to ask as many questions as possible and of course you educate yourself at our website www.intensivecarehotline.com

The reality is that the more you know and the more and better questions that you ask, your level of power, control and influence increases, most of the time to the disliking of the Intensive Care team! And that's cool, because you and your Family are probably sick of feeling powerless, without control and without influence!

But if you continue doing that, you will most likely see the dynamics shift in your favour immediatley...

4.       Genuine alternatives

CONTINUE READING HERE http://intensivecarehotline.com/five-straightforward-ways-improve-family-satisfaction-intensive-care/

Also, check out our "YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED" section

where I answer all your questions!

http://intensivecarehotline.com/category/questions/

In this week I answer another one of our most FAQ questions and this week I answer

After weaning off a ventilator is it NORMAL to be confused?

Find the answer to this question here http://intensivecarehotline.com/weaning-ventilator-normal-confused/

If you want your questions answered just hit reply to this email or email me at support@intensivecarehotline.com and I'll answer your questions!

 Also keep an eye out for our upcoming product launch in the next couple of months! We are NOW finalizing our first product that will help Families of critically ill Patients deal with and take control of most situations in Intensive Care, even if their loved one is dying!

 The product will be an "IN-DEPTH" education product for Families of critically ill Patients in Intensive Care and a SHORTCUT for Families to control, power& influence! The focus of the education product will be on 

• long-term stays in Intensive Care 
• end- of- life situations
• Family meetings
• withdrawal of treatment situations and/or perceived medical futility
• how Families need to manage doctors and nurses
• how to manage fears, frustration and emotions

 The product will be made available in Ebook, Video and Audio format so that our Customers can consume the product in their chosen medium!

 If you have any questions about our upcoming products or if you have any suggestions please let me know at support@intensivecarehotline.com

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