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This blog was first published at our sister site http://intensivecarehotline.com a support and resource website for Families of critically ill Patients in Intensive Care.
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, even if you’re not a doctor or a nurse in Intensive Care!
In this week’s blog I want to show you the ”Follow this proven 5 step process on how to be in control and influential if your loved one is a long-term Patient in Intensive Care or is facing treatment limitations in Intensive Care”
Depending on your critically ill loved one’s treatment, length of stay in Intensive Care, your critically ill loved one’s prognosis, depending on the Intensive Care team’s positioning and also depending on your positioning, there are often various situations that may lead to various outcomes in Intensive Care that are often not necessarily dependent on your critically ill loved one’s situation and prognosis. They are most likely and more often than not dependent on politics, the bed situation, the staffing situation(doctors and nurses), the culture in the Intensive Care Unit(positive or negative), the financial viability of the treatment of your critically ill loved one and the financial budget in the Intensive Care unit.
Let’s say that your critically ill loved one has been to Intensive Care a few times, has been ventilated a few times and has had numerous setbacks, the Intensive Care team might suggest to you that a limitation of treatment, NFR(not for resuscitation) or DNR(Do not resuscitate) might be “in the best interest” for your critically ill loved one. This might be “sold” to you with a few different explanations, but it often goes hand in hand with things such as
• Your loved one wouldn’t have any quality of life if he or she gets out of Intensive Care
• It is “in the best interest” for your critically ill loved one and for your Family if we limit treatment and do not resuscitate if your loved one’s heart stops
• All we want to do is limit your loved one’s suffering and have his or her best interest at heart
Those are some of the most common statements you might hear if a limitation of treatment and or an issuing of an NFR or DNR might be discussed.
You may have already wondered why the Intensive Care team is bringing up those issues. You and your Family might not feel that way and you are not ready for those discussions and you want to have everything done for your critically ill loved one and you want the best treatment available for your critically ill loved one. You may also feel and know that your loved one is a fighter and has come back before from adversity, against the odds.
And rightly so. After all, you and your family know your critically ill loved one best. And why does the Intensive Care team want to make those decisions anyway. You should definitely ask that question and take a look behind the scenes and look for the real motivation behind the Intensive Care team’s positioning.
Is it because they
• Are negative in their outlook?
• have a limited mindset?
• don’t want to treat your loved one to the best of their abilities?
• want to save expensive resources such as beds, staff, equipment and medications?
• have other admissions awaiting ICU admission and therefore competing for limited resources such as beds, staff, equipment, medications etc…?
• Have a negative culture in the Intensive Care Unit?
• Don’t see the financial viability of treating your critically ill loved one to the best of their abilities?
• Think it’s “sexier” to look after and treat Patients where it’s easier to see short term wins and get them out of Intensive Care quicker?
Those are some of the questions you need to consider and those are things that should be going to your mind before you actually agree to anything or before you even enter into a conversation about what’s next for your critically ill loved one and for you and your Family.
You should never take for “face value” what the Intensive Care team is telling you and you should always question their motives behind their actions and behind their positioning. You also need to know that the Intensive Care team needs to follow Hospital guidelines and procedures and they can’t just make those important decisions without discussing them with you at first!
More importantly, you need to know what questions to ask, so that you have control, power and so that you will be able to influence decision making, because you don’t want the Intensive Care team to control the outcome for your critically ill loved one! You want to be in control and you certainly want to be one of the driving forces!
In fact I’ll give you five crucial action steps so that you know how to position yourself correctly if the Intensive Care team wants to limit treatment for your critically ill loved one!
Those five action steps will help you to determine the right course of action for you and it will directly help you to have more control and more power!
1. Learn to ask the right questions
2. Learn that what may be in your critically ill loved ones “best interest” from a hospital point of view, may actually not be in your loved one’s best interest
3. Learn that every Patient in Intensive Care is different and that you can never compare one Patient with another
4. Learn that ‘truth’ is a very thin concept in Intensive Care and that the Intensive Care team’s ‘truth’ maybe very different from what you and your Family consider to be true
5. Learn to accept quickly that what has happened to your critically ill loved one is the way it is
For more insight and detailed explanations on these 5 steps I have created a FREE report for you “Follow this proven 5 step process on how to be in control and influential if your loved one is a long-term Patient in Intensive Care or is facing treatment limitations in Intensive Care”
This in depth FREE report will give you back power, control and will help you to influence decision making whilst your loved one is critically ill in Intensive Care and the FREE report will also help you to get what you want, especially if the Intensive Care team wants to put pressure on you to agree to treatment limitations! The FREE report also gives you real world examples and you can quickly learn from those real world examples and you can use that knowledge to your advantage so that you have control, power and you can influence decision making!
If you are interested in this FREE report, send me an email to [email protected] and I’ll send you your FREE report!
If you want to have even more power and if you want to influence decision making fast you can do so by discovering
more FREE information and more in-depth insight that you must know whilst your loved one is critically ill or is dying in Intensive Care, sign up for your FREE membership and get your FREE “INSTANT IMPACT” REPORT. In your FREE “INSTANT IMPACT” REPORT you’ll learn how to speak the “secret” Intensive Care language so that the doctors and the nurses know straight away that you are an insider and that you know and understand what’s really happening in Intensive Care!
In this free report you’ll also discover
• how to ask the doctors and the nurses the right questions
• how to eliminate fear, frustration, stress, struggle and vulnerability even if your loved one is dying
• 5 “killer” tips& strategies helping you to get on the right path to control, power and influence in your situation
• you’ll get crucial ‘behind the scenes’ insight so that you understand what is really happening in Intensive Care
• how you need to manage doctors and nurses in Intensive Care(it’s not what you think)
With your FREE “INSTANT IMPACT” report you’ll also get 4 other FREE reports and the reports you will be receiving are
- The 6 questions you need to ask the most senior doctor in Intensive Care
- 10 things you didn’t know doctors and nurses are talking about while you are not at the bedside with your loved one
- the 7 answers to the 7 most FAQ if your loved one is critically ill in Intensive Care
- 9 myths of being a critically ill Patient in Intensive Care
Thank you for tuning into this week’s blog and I’ll see you again in another update next week! Make sure you also check out our “your questions answered” section or send me an email to [email protected]
This is Patrik Hutzel from INTENSIVECAREHOTLINE.COM and I’ll see you again next week with another update!
If your loved one is critically ill in Intensive Care and you want more information and lots of FREE resources visit www.intensivecarehotline.com
Sincerely,
your Friend
Patrik Hutzel