'Meet Your ICU Doctor' Initiative Aims to Bridge Communication Gap

A recent study by Indian Medical Association (IMA) has revealed that more than 75% of doctors across the country have faced at least some form of violence. Incidence of violence against doctors has increased in recent times and this had prompted the Indian Society of Critical Care Medicine (ISCCM) to invite people for a discussion on how intensive care units (ICU) function. The new initiative 'Meet your ICU Doctor' aims to improve communication between doctors, patients and their relatives.

Few incidents of violence against doctors: In Navi Peth a doctor was beaten by relatives of a patient at a private hospital. A doctor at the Sassoon general hospital was attacked by a policeman followed by a fight. "Attacks on doctors happen in a fit of emotion. But the primary reason is ignorance about the working of an ICU in particular and the medical field in general. ISCCM has taken up the initiative called 'conversation with experts of the intensive care unit'," an office-bearer of the ISCCM said at a press conference on Sunday.

Shirish Prayag, founder member of ISCCM and a senior critical care expert, said, "Doctors working in ICU are under pressure while the patient's relatives are in an emotional state. Hence, giving them information about the working of experts at hospitals will be good for doctors and patients."

ISCCM vice-president and critical care expert Kapil Zirpe said, "On most occasions patient's relatives have a poor understanding of the ICU procedures. The knowledge about such procedures can help avoid conflicts in future."

A 50-minute short film will be screen by the ISCCM to show how a patient is handled inside the intensive care unit. A microblogging site to answer netizens' queries will be launched by doctors.

Source-Medindia