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Palliative Care and the ICU

Next Reply: Re:waiting rooms
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Post waiting rooms
Author: litteken
Date: Jun 30, 2008 7:45 am
How do you handle children in the waiting rooms? When we have someone that is dying-we seem to get a very large number of people in--and the waiing room is not that big -- ICU, Our major complaint is that a lot are from out of town and they bring their small children. Other visitors complain--not enough places to sit and the children can be disturbing. We try to move these pt out of the ICU as soon as possible, but can take time--ie--they don't want to take them off the vent until everyone has gotten here.

Also, any ideas what to to with the out of town visitors for sleeping arrangements and things to occupy everyone in the waiting room??

Cindy
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Re:waiting rooms (by SharolHerr on 06/30/2008)
In the acute care setting there is always a balance between accomodating and staying within the limitations of the hospital environment. Creative strategies are some times helpful; i.e. rotating family members in the waiting areas, encouraging use of a schedule, suggesting rest periods for the patient etc. For the patients that we are supporting for palliative ventilator withdrawal and there may be a delay until family arrives, we transfer the patients to a private room on our acute palliative care unit. The staff have had special training in managing the vent from a palliative prespective. We have also used play areas and toy boxes to give children a place to focus their energy. Volunteers are often a resource to occupy children while the adutls are occupied. Wherever possible, it is nice to have a sleeper chair in the room or portable cots available to put in the room. Encouraging sleeping in the room is generally easier to manage than giving free reign over the waiting area for sleeping. Some hospitals have established special rates with hotels for families that want to stay close to hospitalized patients as well. We have snack/beverage centers in the waiting rooms or carts that can be requested from dietary to be kept at the room when families are maintaining vigil. Again, balance is the key--accomodating vs. limitations of being in hospital. Sharol Herr, RN, MSEd, CHPN; Nurse Clinician/Education Coordinator; Mt. Carmel Health Palliative Care Leadership Center; Columbus, Ohio.

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