Suggestions for Communicating with ICU Staff:

• Know who is in charge of your child's medical care.
• Keep a list of all the medical staff and their specialties.
• Find out which nurses are in charge of your child's care.
• Keep a list of therapists and their specialty areas.
• Let staff know:
  1. Phone number(s) to call you
  2. Where you are staying if you are away from home
  3. Who to contact in your family for decisions and/or information
  4. Who not to contact in your family
  5. Set up a daily time and person to contact for a report on your child.

Gather the following information about each person you want to talk with:

• Name and specialty
• Telephone number(s)
• Best times of day or week to talk or meet with you
• Best ways to contact them (by phone, appointment, in office, at child's room)
• Who to ask for if they are not available at the hospital or in their office
• Most reliable way to leave messages
• When they expect to get information from special tests

See the worksheets for organizing information about hospital staff.