You are talking with a patient's family during rounds and the parents tell you they do not understand what the doctors told them and they are unsure of what is going on with their child's health. Tell me how you respond to the parents.

"This type of situation has to be so frightening for a NICU patient's family, and unfortunately, I can foresee that it happens often. I would take time to explain the patient's medical condition to them at a level they could understand and I would not leave until I was sure they understood. I have dealt with this many times in my nursing career, but one time in particular sticks out to me. I was caring for a patient who had been admitted after a car accident, and after she had a CT scan on her head, a mass was found on her pituitary gland. The doctors did not think the mass was cancerous, and the patient was told it was likely benign; but unfortunately, she didn't know the meaning of benign. Later, when I went to check on the patient, she was devastated and thought she had brain cancer. Luckily, I was able to help explain the situation to her, just like I would do in the situation with the patient's family you described to me."

In this situation as a NICU nurse, you should describe how you would take time to help the family understand what is going on with their child's health and condition. A more successful answer to this question would include a specific example from your career where you helped clarify a diagnosis, procedure, or other medical-related situation when a patient or their family was confused. Make sure to reiterate that you would handle any follow-up necessary in a quick manner to ensure that the family's questions are answered.

"I understand that when a family's baby is in the NICU, it can be overwhelming and scary, so it's natural that they aren't able to absorb all of the information they are given at once. Families likely don't have healthcare backgrounds, so I would try to avoid using acronyms and remember to speak in plain terms so that they understood the information. It's important to be patient, understanding, and willing to repeat information and answer questions. I would encourage families to take notes while we talked and I would give them resources I had to assist as well like handouts, website links, etc."