Patients, families attend treatment conference
Plan helps facilitate discharge preparation
Including the family and patients in the weekly treatment team conference has paid dividends at Genesys Regional Medical Center in Grand Blanc, MI.
"In the past, we would have a team meeting and later tell the family what we talked about. Then we would usually be able to schedule just one family meeting during the rehab stay. We found that arrangement didn't meet our needs," says Daniel Swank, MPA/CRRN, director of rehabilitation.
Conferences are typically scheduled for 15 minutes. If the staff think it is necessary, they can schedule more than one meeting slot for a patient. Combining the team and family conferences helps the family realize the patient's condition and prognosis, Swank says.
"When we had separate meetings, we'd wind up taking the family out of the thick of things, and prior to discharge, we'd dump them back in. It made discharge planning difficult and made the families unhappy because they really didn't know what to expect," he says.
The majority of families are able to attend the conferences, he reports. If they can't come, the meeting room has conference call capabilities built in, and the family members can participate by telephone.
"If we have someone we know may present a problem, we can have a pre-conference among team members before the family arrives," Swank says.
Having the family at the conference has helped make the treatment team more cohesive because now they communicate frequently during the treatment day and don't save all the issues until the team conference.
"It makes a better team, and the more you can work together, the better outcomes you can produce," Swank says.
The team conferences focus on what is going on with the patient, his or her level of function, and psychosocial issues. Team members include the physician, physical therapists, occupational therapists, social workers, and case managers. Sometimes additional staff, such as speech pathologists, dietitians, or recreation therapists, are called in.
"We try to focus on the problems of the patients and where they need to be for discharge. Mobility, activities of daily living, bowel and bladder issues, other medical issues, safety, and medication are some of the topics," Swank says.
Patients and family members are prompted to ask questions. "It keeps the reality right there. It allows us all to focus on the resources needed to help the patients and the families deal with the illness or injury," he says.
You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
- Award-winning Medical Content
- Latest Advances & Development in Medicine
- Unbiased Content