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TRAINING PARENT FACILITATORS: PARENT PRESENCE DURING INVASIVE PROCEDURES AND RESUSCITATION

Fanlight Productions, 32 Court Street, Brooklyn, NY, 11201, http://www.fanlight.com, 2007, 26 minutes, ISBN 1-57295-940-1, Color; $249

  
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* Reviewed by:

 

Ellen Rice Tichich, BA, RN

 

Clinical Nurse Educator

 

Northfield Hospital, Minnesota

 

Few things trigger fear and anxiety in parents more than having a child undergo an invasive or resuscitative procedure. At Children's Hospital Boston, clinicians understand this, and in response, they have developed a unique program which gives parents the option to remain at the bedside with their child without compromising patient care. In this program, select staff members receive training as "parent facilitators." These facilitators are then available to offer parents support, provide explanations, and answer questions during procedures, allowing other staff to focus on providing safe care.

 

To recreate a realistic acute care situation, staff members interact with parents-portrayed by specially trained actors-in two simulation scenarios. The result is a high-quality production professional in both content and delivery. Following each simulation, staff members, along with the actors (remaining in character), discuss the interaction, offering facilitators specific feedback. As an added value to the 26-minute training program, the DVD includes extended versions of each scenario.

 

The true value of this training program is its relevance to health care across a broad spectrum. Although the scenarios focus on facilitating parental presence at the bedside during invasive or resuscitative procedures, the communication skills reinforced in the program are beneficial at even the most basic level.

 

In a system growing more technologically advanced by the moment, where skill and efficiency are at a premium, the art of human compassion through communication has never been more important. This video serves as a valuable training and resource tool by addressing a topic which will never become obsolete.