Family Relations helps staff shine in families’ eyes
As Dawn Nebrig sees it, she and her team are in the business of hero support. The social worker/director of Family Relations, is eager to help frontline staff “save the day” for patients and families by providing resources that fulfill some of their nonclinical needs.
“Sometimes, it’s as simple as giving a parent hair conditioner,” says Nebrig. “Little things can make a big difference in a stressful situation.”
Family Relations is made up of Guest Services, the Welcome Center and Patient Advocates who focus on addressing family concerns.
“We are here to improve the patient/family experience,” says Nebrig, “but we are also here to support staff.”
They do that in a number of ways:
- The staff helpline. Staff can call 6-5009, option 8, when they find out a family has a nonclinical need but aren’t sure where to go for answers. Callers are connected to a Guest Services associate who can answer questions, share specific contacts or offer resources to help meet the need. Requests range from the routine to the highly individualized.
“We got a call from an employee who was talking with a mom. The mom shared that her son, our patient, is on the autism spectrum and is very interested in the internal mechanics of buildings. She asked if there was any way her son could tour the boiler room at Cincinnati Children’s. The employee called the staff helpline to see if we could make this happen,” says Nebrig. “That was a first. We contacted Plant Engineering, and they agreed to do it. Dave Strohmier, a facilities technician in Building Maintenance, scheduled the meeting and met the patient and his mom in the Family Resource Center with hard hats, stickers, goggles and earplugs to take the boy and his mom on a tour. The kid was over the moon with excitement. We were all pretty moved by this experience.”
Staff can also direct families to call Guest Services to get help with lodging (they negotiate discounted room rates from area hotels), transportation, and tickets to local attractions. “Those are the most common requests,” says Nebrig, “but we can help with so much more. We proctor exams for family members who are still in school while their child is inpatient; we provide personal care items; we even have a supply of Mylar® balloons that we can offer as a substitute if staff have to take latex balloons away to keep the environment safe. Whatever the need, we will do the legwork for you. So often our care providers have to deliver tough news to families. Supporting clinicians so they can meet a family’s non-clinical need creates a bright spot for families and staff.”
- Partners in Patient Family Experience (PFE). This is an interdepartmental group that meets monthly to share ideas on ways to create experiences that will wow patients and families. The departments include those that have first or frequent touches with families – The Scheduling Center, Food Services, Environmental Services, Registration/Admitting, Child Life and Integrative Care, The GetWell Network, Family Relations/Guest Services, Social Services, and Best Upon Request.
“This group had a big win making egg crate mattress pads available to all families on inpatient units,” says Nebrig. “Our EVS member told us that the biggest complaint they heard from families was how uncomfortable the pullout couches in the room are for sleeping. A4 North and South was already selling egg crate mattresses to their families. We knew families loved them. So, now we offer egg crate mattress pads for $8 each in the Family Resource Center.”
- Patient advocates. When families have a concern or complaint, they call Family Relations to help mediate. But staff can also contact Family Relations when they need help communicating with families. “Sometimes, when multiple teams are caring for one child, the family hears conflicting messages,” says Nebrig. “We’ll help schedule a care conference with all the parties to get everyone on the same page.”
“Exhausted families who haven’t eaten aren’t always the best communicators or advocates for their children,” she adds. “If you’ve reached an impasse with a family, we can help.”
Family Relations/Guest Services is happy to work with care providers to address whatever challenges they are up against. “We have broadened our perspective to be more responsive to staff-identified family needs. We have partners in the community who are interested in filling non-clinical gaps that interrupt the flow of care,” says Nebrig. “The ability to perform small acts of kindness elevates the employee experience, too. It’s the right thing to do, and it just feels good.”
