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It’s Patrik Hutzel from intensivecarehotline.com with another quick tip for families in intensive care.
So, today’s tip is about a question that I have or a frustration, more or less, from a reader who says, “I’m trying to make the ICU doctors actually listen instead of getting angry at my questions and concerns. How can I make that happen? If you could help me, I would really appreciate it. From, Nancy.”
Now, Nancy, first off, you need to give yourself a tap on your shoulder, and you should take this as a compliment that the doctors are potentially getting angry and frustrated at you because you’re probably asking the right questions. You probably have watched enough of my videos and read enough of my blog to have a grasp of what is really going on, and they’re probably feeling a little bit intimidated.
There is a blog post that I wrote a while ago, “What questions to ask?”, and if you’re asking that those questions, you’re holding them to account and they probably don’t like it, so that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
However, by the same token, if you feel like you are not getting the answers that you want, then I recommend the following:
Number one, you need to get access to the medical records, and then you can actually see what’s in there. If it’s difficult for you to interpret what’s in the medical records, and for most families, it is difficult to interpret what’s in there. Then, you can reach out to us here at intensivecarehotline.com for a second opinion. We can help you decipher the medical records and give you our take on things. We can answer the questions that the doctors seem to be reluctant to ask. That is my really my advice here, don’t get frustrated at them because if you get frustrated at them and they get frustrated at you, that might only become more and more negative. You don’t want that.
By the same token, it makes you wonder, what is it they have to hide? What questions is it they can’t answer? But it often helps when I talk to doctors and nurses directly with my clients, it often helps if you have someone on the phone with you that speaks the lingo.
I have worked in intensive care for nearly 25 years in three different countries where I worked as a nurse manager for over 5 years. I have been consulting and advocating for families in intensive care for over 10 years now here at the intensivecarehotline.com since 2013 in order to be precise.
I can say without the slightest hint of exaggeration that we have saved lives as part of our consulting and advocacy. You can look up our testimonial section on our website intensivecarehotline.com. You can look up our podcast section where we interviewed clients, and they can verify that we help them save their loved one’s life where ICUs would have withdrawn treatment prematurely and unnecessarily.
We even have clients, even patients from ICU on the podcast, that would have died if we hadn’t intervened and advocated for the families, and said, “Look, there’s no need to pull out here. It’s way too early.” Also, it is not up to ICU teams to make that decision. It is your decision or a patient’s decision or the next of kin/medical power of attorney’s decision.
So, that is my quick tip for today.
Because there are so many families that have so many questions when they have a loved one in intensive care, that’s why we created a membership for families of critically ill patients in intensive care. You can get access to it by going to intensivecarehotline.com by clicking on the membership link or by going to intensivecaresupport.org directly. In the membership, you have access to me and my team, 24 hours a day, in the membership area and via email, and we answer all questions intensive care related. There’s no question that we can’t answer.
In the membership, you also have access to 21 videos and e-books that are specifically designed for families of critically ill patients in intensive care that cover a variety of topics but it gives you a road map, how to manage a situation like that when you have a loved one in intensive care. Proven strategies that we’ve applied for over 10 years with real results and real outcomes.
I also offer one-on-one consulting and advocacy with you and your families over the phone, Skype, WhatsApp, Zoom, whichever medium works best for you. I also talk to doctors and nurses directly with you, and I also represent you in family meetings. When I talk to doctors and nurses directly, I ask all the questions that you haven’t even considered asking but must be asked when you have a loved one in intensive care so that you can make informed decisions, have peace of mind, control, power, and influence.
You will see that the dynamics will change very quickly in your favor once you have someone on your team like myself who speaks the medical language, the clinical language, and who can hold the intensive care team accountable for their actions or non-actions. We are specialized on patient advocacy and consulting in intensive care.
Now, we also offer medical record reviews in real-time so that you can get a second opinion in real-time. We also offer medical record reviews after intensive care if you have unanswered questions, if you need closure, or if you are simply suspecting medical negligence.
All of that, you get at intensivecarehotline.com by going to our website intensivecarehotline.com by calling us on one of the numbers on the top of our website or simply send us an email to [email protected].
Now, if you like my videos subscribe to my YouTube channel for regular updates for families in intensive care, click the like button, click the notification bell, share the video with your friends and families and comment below what you want to see next, what questions and insights you have.
Thank you so much for watching.
This is Patrik Hutzel from intensivecarehotline.com and I will talk to you in a few days.
Take care for now.