Cardiac Critical Care Family Initiatives fund's first focus, Communication in CCCU and PICU

Labatt Family Heart Centre has setup a new fund for Cardiac Critical Care Family Initiatives which has already received $45,000 in donations. The first strategic initiative is communication, which we are so happy to hear on this blog. Since orientation of senior staff in April, the unit is preparing rollout of 'Crucial Confrontations' training to a first group of interprofessional staff in both the CCCU and the PICU. According to the company website, this training "teaches a straightforward step-by-step process for identifying and resolving performance gaps, strengthening accountability, eliminating inconsistency and reducing resentment." The skill tools they list to achieve this accountability and evolve execution are:

• Hold anyone accountable—no matter the person's power, position, or temperament.
• Master performance discussions—get positive results and maintain good relations along the way. Stay focused on the real issues and avoid getting distracted.
• Motivate without using power—clearly and concisely explain specific, natural consequences and permanently resolve problems.
• Enable without taking over—creatively help others avoid excuses, stay on track, and resolve performance barriers. Learn to avoid roadblocks to performance.
• Move to action—agree on a plan, follow up and engage in good reporting practices, and manage new expectations.

These would appear to be necessary interpersonal skills to achieve 'smooth' team dynamics. Perhaps we just expect nurses, doctors and all professionals to have just mastered them by the time they are on the floor yet so far the time devoted to team and family communication training in medical training is too little or too late. Such skills are learned (or not) on the job, hence my excitement to see how this particular training pans out for staff and families. It would also be great to see this staff training on teamwork find ways to appropriately include parents; the parent's point of view from first hand experience differs from that of staff in interesting and useful ways.