London hospital promotes mediation as tension management tool

A new project by the Medical Mediation Foundation, aimed at breaking down tension between family members and health professionals when there is a disagreement about a child's course of treatment, is in full swing at Evelina London Children's Hospital, The Guardian reported.

Noting the importance of communication between caregivers to a child's recovery, the Evalina Resolution Project offers mediation at the request of parents or staff members, and trains hospital personnel in stress management techniques. It also teaches staff how to recognize triggers for conflict and ways to rebuild trust when a situation deteriorates, the article states.

More than 90 staff nurses have completed training sessions, with doctors set to begin training this month. The sessions help staff think about issues from the parents' perspective and reflect on how their actions impact them, according to the article.

The program is especially helpful for staff who interact with parents of children in the hospital for long-term care, because they become experts in their children's condition and "their threshold is lowered for what they're prepared to tolerate from health professionals," Medical Mediation Foundation Director Sarah Barclay, who set up the project, told The Guardian.

Mediation isn't the only approach hospitals take to help personnel manage difficult situations and stress.

Cleveland Clinic in Ohio offers "Code Lavender," a holistic care rapid response to clinicians in need. Within 30 minutes of hearing the code, a team of holistic nurses arrive to give Reiki, massages, healthy snacks, water and a lavender armband to remind the doctor or nurse to take it easy the rest of the day, FierceHealthcare previously reported.

In addition, an Aetna study found insurers can save money if their members participate in a mind-body stress reduction program, according to FierceHealthcare.

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