Promoting Patient and Family- Centered Care in the Prehospital Setting: A Toolkit for Medical Directors Saranya Srinivasan, M.D. Assistant Medical Director, Houston Fire Department Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine Co-Director, PediSTEPPs Simulation Course Program Director, EMSC Texas State Partnership DISCLOSURE I have no conflicts of interest to disclose I will not be discussing unapproved use of a commercial device/ product in my presentation OBJECTIVES After attending this presentation, the participant will be able to: Define patient and family-centered care and discuss its importance in the prehospital environment Describe techniques for incorporating on-scene family members into the care team and involving the patient in his/her own care Describe effective strategies for communicating with family members and patients in a manner that is clear, consistent, and age-appropriate Identify resources that can be accessed to help integrate patient and family-centered care into his/ her own EMS system 1
WHY FAMILY CENTERED CARE MATTERS "Jamey was 14, and was lying in the street when neighbors brought me to him. He had chosen to ride his bicycle without a helmet, and tried to dart across a very busy street in failing February twilight. EMS was already there, working to stabilize him, and preparing to transport him to a nearby hospital. As Jamey was being wheeled to the ambulance, one of the paramedics approached and asked me if I wanted to ride to the hospital in the ambulance. He escorted me to the front seat and ensured that I put on a seatbelt. As we were pulling away, another emergency responder rushed up to my window. When I rolled it down, he reached in and handed me a sock that Jamey had been wearing. That may seem like a simple, almost silly thing to do, but it was very important to me. Jamey died 3 days later, and that was more than 6 years ago. I still have that sock and the memory of one person s kindness. This is an odd way to put it-- but except for the fact that our son died, our experience that day was very good..." What is Patient and Family-Centered Care? Mutually beneficial collaboration between patient, family, and healthcare providers Care that acknowledges: Families are the constant in their child's life They bring important strengths to their child's health care experiences Family should be given the option to be present and to participate in their child s care They can choose their level of participation What Patient and Family Centered Care is NOT Just being nice to patients and their families Providers giving up all decision making to patients and families That there are no boundaries Disruptive family members should be respectfully asked to leave That patients and their families may be rude or abusive to staff Provider safety ALWAYS come first 2
Myths About Family Centered Care It is time-consuming It creates more work for prehospital providers It is too costly It delays appropriate patient care Families will interfere with care, creating delays and errors There is no evidence that patient and family centered care is effective Evidence Supporting PFCC Most parents want the opportunity and feel it is their right to remain with their child, even during resuscitation Shown to be ethically sound and with minimal risk In the majority of cases, studies suggest that family presence was not stressful to staff and did not negatively impact performance One study reported that there were no episodes of interruption in care Helpful to have a designated individual to provide support Does it really make a difference? More than 2/3 of caregivers of a child who died report that being present helped with their adjustment to the death and the grieving process Nearly 2/3 of caregivers reported that touching their child brought them comfort Approximately 70% of caregivers reported feeling that their presence helped the patient 3
How to Provide PFCC in the Prehospital Setting Buy-in: from medical directors and prehospital providers Improves patient and provider satisfaction Makes providers jobs easier Make it easy Provide tools to make PFCC the path of least resistance by building a toolkit Strategies Non-verbal communication Verbal communication age-appropriate language, answers, and choices Tools Nonverbal Communication Strategies Try to be eye level when talking with children To a toddler, we look like giants Take interactive cues from child s demeanor (match affect) Smile! When starting an exam, start with the least invasive part Start by touching the patient s arm or leg before listening to the heart 4
Verbal Communication Strategies Build rapport Comment on clothing/ toys Be positive, avoid using negative phrasing Your job is to hold still. instead of Don t move! It is time to instead of Okay, you ready? Give the patient a job to do Your job is to take a deep breath. During the procedure, verbalize the sequence of events Avoid confusing language and false choices Be honest Avoid confusing or threatening language Instead of I m not here to hurt you. It wasn t that bad. Funny smell/taste, etc. Stretcher Finger stick Vital Signs Recommended Phrasing Instead of introducing the word hurt, say what you are going to do. Was that how you thought it would be? Tell me how it was for you. Different or odd smell/taste Bed on wheels Poke Temperature, tight squeeze on arm, weight, height, sticky Band-Aids Avoiding False Choices If questions are used, they should offer real and appropriate choices, which gives the patient a sense of control and promotes compliance This is going to give your arm a tight squeeze which arm do you want the blood pressure cuff on? Do you want me to count to 3 before I poke? Do you want your dad to hold your hand? 5
Is it really a choice? False Choices Are you ready to get a finger stick? Do you want to get on the stretcher? Can I listen to your heart? Recommended Phrasing I am going to do your finger poke now. It is time to get on the bed with wheels. I am going to listen to your heart. Question "Is my mom/ dad going to be okay?" The Difficult Questions Answer Right now, our job is to take care of you and make sure that you are safe. I know you re really worried about your parent, when we find out exactly what s happening we will tell you. "Will this hurt?" It s going to feel like (pinch, uncomfortable, etc.) What are you doing to me? Right now, we re going do your blood pressure (it will feel like a tight squeeze), IV (it will feel like a pinch). Your Most Valuable Resource: The Family Parents and family members know their child better than anyone Especially children with chronic medical conditions If possible, allow the parent to hold the child during assessment For critical patients, allow the parent maintain visual line-of-sight with their child or even touch an extremity Questions to ask: How is your child acting compared to their normal self? Do you think your child is scared or are they in pain? 6
Talking with Parents and Families Affirmation "Thanks for calling us. Calling 911 was the right thing to do. Validation It must be scary when your daughter s fever gets that high. You must be tired after staying up all night. You seem worried. angry. upset. I know you care about your child. Education Some symptoms of an emergency are If you see these in the future, you should call 911. If you do not think your child is having an emergency, you should call your primary care provider to figure out what to do next. PediSTEPPs A Pediatric Simulation Course Pediatric Simulation Training for Emergency Prehospital Providers Collaboration between Texas Children s and the Houston Fire Department Course goals: Increase comfort with pediatric assessment and management Learn how to better provide PFCC in a safe, confidential setting Studies have shown higher comfort levels with PFCC in those who have practiced skills in a simulated setting PediSTEPPs A Pediatric Simulation Course 1-day simulation course for all HFD providers taught by HFD instructors and physicians Morning: lectures and skills stations Afternoon: 4 high-fidelity simulation scenarios with SPs as parents Debriefs after each simulation 4 scenarios with different family interactions Clonidine overdose with an anxious parent Near drowning with an intoxicated parent MVC where parent was pronounced on scene Supraventricular tachycardia with a babysitter 7
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Building a Toolkit for Medical Directors Patient and Family Centered Care Toolbox, Emergency Medical Services for Children Innovation and Improvement Center https://emscimprovement.center/reso urces/toolboxes/patient-and-familycentered-care-toolbox/ Badge Buddy One page quick reference sheet The Difficult Questions "Is my mom going to be okay?" "Will this hurt?" What are doing to me? And how to answer them Right now, our job is to take care of you and make sure that you are safe. I know you re really worried about your parent, when we find out exactly what s happening, we will let you know. It s going to feel like (pinch, uncomfortable, etc.) Right now, we re going do your blood pressure (it will feel like a tight squeeze), IV (going to feel like a pinch). Instead of Try these instead Instead of introducing the word hurt, say I m not here to hurt you. what you are going to do. Was that how you thought it would be? Tell me It wasn t that bad. how it was for you. Funny smell/taste, etc.. Different or odd smell/taste Stretcher Bed on wheels Needle / fingerstick Poke; some kids say feels like a pinch Temperature, tight squeeze on arm, weight, Vital Signs height, sticky Band-Aids C-collar Neck brace to help your neck /back stay still Blood pressure cuff Tight squeeze/ hug on your arm Leads/ EKG Stickers/ sticky band aids EMS Take Home Points Patient and family-centered care is easy and cost-effective. PFCC improves patient care and family and provider satisfaction. PFCC can be implemented in any system. 9
References Ayub EM, Sampayo EM, Shah MI, Doughty CB. Prehospital Providers' Perceptions on Providing Patient and Family Centered Care. Prehosp Emerg Care. 2017 Mar- Apr;21(2):233-241. Loyacono TR. Family-centered prehospital care. Emerg Med Serv. 2001 Jun;30(6):64-7, 83. Prehosp Emerg Care. 2017 May-Jun;21(3):334-343. Calhoun AW, Sutton ERH, Barbee AP, McClure B, Bohnert C, Forest R, Taillac P, Fallat ME. Compassionate Options for Pediatric EMS (COPE): Addressing Communication Skills. Prehosp Emerg Care. 2017 May-Jun;21(3):334-343. Kleinman ME, Chameides L, Schexnayder SM, et al. Part 14: pediatric advanced life support: 2010 American Heart Association Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care. Circulation. 2010 Nov 2;122(18 Suppl 3):S876-908. Mehta, P. Communication Skills Talking to Parents. Indian Pediatrics. 2008 April; 45 (300-304) Mangurten J, Scott SH, Guzzetta CE, et al. Effects of family presence during resuscitation and invasive procedures in a pediatric emergency department. J Emerg Nurs. 2006 Jun;32(3):225-33. Dudley NC, Hansen K, Furnival RA, et al. The effect of family presence on the efficiency of pediatric trauma resuscitations. Ann Emerg Med. 2009 Jun; 53(6):777-84. Tinsley C, Hill JB, Shah J, et al. Experience of families during cardiopulmonary resuscitation in a pediatric intensive care unit. Pediatrics. 2008 Oct;122(4):e799-804. Curley MA, Meyer EC, Scoppettuolo LA, et al. Parent presence during invasive procedures and resuscitation:evaluating a clinical practice change. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2012 Dec 1;186(11):1133-9. Family Presence During Resuscitation and Invasive Procedures. Crit Care Nursing. 2016 Feb: 36 (1): e11-14 Vincent C, Lederman Z.Family presence during resuscitation: extending ethical norms from paediatrics to adults. J Med Ethics. 2017 Oct;43(10):676-678. Bradley C, Lensky M, Brasel K. Family Presence During Resuscitation. Palliative Care Network of Wisconsin. https://www.mypcnow.org/blank-sopqs. Accessed on 12/14/2017. POKE Program. University of Michigan. https://wiki.med.umich.edu/display/umpoke/resource+-+poke. Accessed on 12/14/17 Family-Centered Prehospital Care: Partnering with Families to Improve Care. Emergency Medical Services for Children. https://emscimprovement.center/media/emsc/files/pdf/emsc_resources/familycentered_prehospital_care Partnering_with_Families_to_Improve_Care2125.pd f?la=en. Accessed on 12/1/17. Guidelines for Providing Family-Centered Prehospital Care. National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians. https://www.nh.gov/safety/divisions/fstems/ems/documents/emscguidelines.pdf. Accessed on 12/2/17. Involving the Family in Prehospital Care. EMS1.com. https://www.ems1.com/ems-products/child-safety-education/articles/508191-involving-the-family-in-prehospital-care/. Accessed on 12/3/17. Acknowledgements Dr. David Persse and the Houston Fire Department Simulation Center at Texas Children s Hospital Drs. Sirbaugh, Arnold, Shah, and Doughty Shelby Bonnet, CCLS, and the TCH Child Life Team Thank you. Questions? 10