Challenging Parent Encounters: Skills in Communication and De-escalation

Monday, May 6, 2024

1:00 PM – 2:30 PM ET

Location: Metro Toronto Convention Centre: 707

CE: Live CME: 1.5

Leader(s)

Carrie Danziger, MD (she/her/hers)

Associate Professor, Division Chief and Medical Director Pediatric Emergency Medicine
Albany Medical College
Albany, New York, United States

Slides

Co-Leader(s)

Larissa Wertalik, DO (she/her/hers)

Pediatrician
None, United States
Dane Nickel, MD (he/him/his)

Fellow
SUNY Upstate
Fayetteville, New York, United States
Nicole Saglamer, MD MPH FAAP (she/her/hers)

Pediatrician & Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Baldwin Harbour Pediatrics and Zucker School of Medicine
Island Park, New York, United States

Disclosure(s):

Carrie Danziger, MD: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.

Catherine E. Castle, BS RN: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.

Larissa Wertalik, DO: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.

Dane E. Nickel, MD: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.

Nicole A. Saglamer, MD MPH FAAP: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.

Workshop

Description: In the current healthcare setting of Emergency Department overcrowding and inadequate staffing, we are overwhelmed – we rush, there are long waits, and we have the tendency to be impatient. Parents are tired, stressed, and worried about their children's health. Parents and children are significantly impacted by long waits, lack of communication, and delays. Maintaining positive relationships with parents can only improve child centered care. We will go through the core reasons for parental frustration and techniques to avoid these triggers from the beginning of the encounter. We will dive into what drives us to lose our temper. Strategies for regaining parental trust and de-escalation techniques will be reviewed along with what to do when attempts are not successful. We will break into groups where participants will have the opportunity to role-play and observe scenarios of common difficult parent encounters and practice these strategies. Each scenario will be followed by a debrief of what went well and what could be improved next time. We will then reconvene as a large group to share what we practiced.

Learning Objectives:

Upon completion, participants will be able to recognize their own compassion fatigue and how this affects our interactions and communication
Upon completion, participants will be able to describe and demonstrate that acknowledging delays, identifying barriers, and providing reassurance can improve care for the child and the relationship with the parent.
Upon completion, participants should be able to describe and demonstrate techniques to prevent parental frustration and escalation and demonstrate the ability to create solutions, stay calm, and take responsibility.