When you are at the hospital with your child, there are teams of people here that are trying to help. You have doctors, nurses, technologists, receptionists, housekeepers, security officers and lots of other people working to make sure your experience is a good and safe one. However, the most important person on that team is YOU!
No one knows your child like you do. Since most of our patients are very young, we need their parents to be their voices. We want you to speak up if and when you have a question. If you don’t understand something, ask until someone explains it thouroughly to you. Your child needs you to make informed decisions about his or her care, so the more you know, the better decision you will make. Do not be afraid to speak up because your voice is important to us. Not only that, but when you have to go to several different departments, you are the one that can help the other teams communicate. Take notes if you need to and make sure that each team is aware of what is being done for your child. Communication is key to making sure your child’s care is kept to the highest standard.
Before I worked for Cincinnati Children’s, my daughter was in the NICU for almost 5 months. During that time, we had several different doctors and multiple specialties taking care of her. I realized with so many different doctors and so many different opinions, I needed to keep track of what was going on. I learned that I am just as important as those doctors that were taking care of my child and that I had a right to speak my mind when I didn’t understand or didn’t agree with something. When I got involved, my child’s care became a lot less intimidating.
Be your child’s advocate. Be your child’s voice. Be a part of our team.
Alex is a radiologist and the Neil D. Johnson Chair of Radiology Informatics. In this role, he helps to manage the information systems used by the Radiology department. Clinically, Alex is the Assistant Director of thoracoabdominal imaging. His research interests include liver disease, liver tumors, inflammatory bowel disease, and appendicitis.
