Guideline 7: Including large families
9 out of 11Offer to hold a family meeting
- If the patient has strong reasons for including the whole family, you could offer to hold a family meeting to accommodate the larger family group at a more suitable time and place.35
Click for example wording
“If it’s important to you to have your whole family present, then I could arrange for a larger room to be booked for our next consultation”
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Click the + button below for how to prepare for and conduct a family meeting.
- If the patient and family wish to have a family meeting, carefully set up and conduct the meeting 49
- Preparing for a family meeting:
- Get the patient’s permission to arrange a family meeting and find out if they have any concerns they’d like discussed.
- Gather information on the family members who will be attending the meeting
- Select a suitable facilitator from the meeting
- Determine which health professionals should attend, based on the patient’s/family’s needs
- Book a private space at a mutually acceptable time
- Conducting a family meeting:
- Have introductions and establish how the meeting will work
- Confirm the purpose of the family meeting and find out if the patient/family has any other concerns they’d like discussed.
- Determine the patient/family’s understanding of issues and provide information/additional resources as required
- Check throughout the meeting as to whether the patient/family feel their concerns are being addressed
- If necessary, offer referral to members of the meeting
- Conclude by summarising any decisions made and clarifying the plan for moving forward.
- Preparing for a family meeting:
OVERALL COMPLETION
