How much information should families expect on wards?

摘要

One of the biggest stressors in work for me and my colleagues, junior and senior, is the relentless demand for information—not from patients themselves but from their relatives. It's taboo to talk about this in public for fear of appearing callous and uncaring. But it comes up whenever a group of medics unburden themselves in safe spaces. I'm happy to break the taboo and to be found wanting for doing so. The source of this stress is rarely visitors who are involved carers, supporting the patient day in, day out. These visitors are often highly present on the wards, making frequent interaction and updates easier. It's crucial to involve these