UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital

Communicating With Your Child's Care Team

Please be sure to share all of your phone numbers (home, cell and business) with the bedside nurse. Please let your nurse know if any of your phone numbers change. We suggest that you write your best contact number on the white board in your child’s room to allow the team to contact you if there are questions or to update you on new information.

Family-Centered Rounds

Your child’s primary team “rounds” on all patients every morning. Rounds are a time for the health care team to come together with you and your child to talk about the latest results and plan medical care.

Resident doctors and/or medical students may come to your child’s room before rounds from 6:15 am to 7:45 am to examine and check on your child. Then later in the morning, the full care team will come to your child's room for rounds. Rounds include the attending doctor, fellows, residents, medical students, nurses and other health care professionals involved in your child's care. Rounds are the time when the care team will talk about the latest results and plan your child's medical care for the day. Rounds are the best time to ask your child's care team any questions you may have.

Rounds can take place in the room with your child or in the hallway, depending on your wishes. Let us know what is best for your family. Rounds start with a member of the team giving a summary of what has happened with your child and reviewing data, such as exam and test results. Then, the team will talk about your child’s plan of care for the day, including changes to medications and procedures.

Rounds are also a time for teaching the residents and medical students. You may hear teaching on rounds as the team discusses your child's care plan.

As a parent, you are a part of your child’s medical team, and we encourage you to participate in daily rounds. If you see a team outside your child’s room, please come out, listen and participate. If you are unable to be present in the hospital for rounds, please ask your child's nurse about participating in rounds over the phone. During rounds there may be medical terms used that are hard to understand. Please ask questions if you don’t understand something that the team is saying.

For longer conversations, the team will schedule a family meeting to speak with you in more detail. These meetings include the primary team and other team members involved in your child’s care, such as consulting teams and social workers. You can also request a family meeting with your child's team.

Rounds take place:

  • Pediatric unit rounds: 8 am to noon each day, except for Friday, when rounds are from 9 am to noon
  • Pediatric Intensive Care Unit: 7:30 am to 11:30 am each day, except for Friday, when rounds are from 7 am to 11:30 am
  • Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: 8 am to noon each day, except for Friday, when rounds are from 7 am to noon

Communicating With Your Child’s Medical Team

You know your child better than anyone else, and you are an essential part of the medical team. Only you can recognize slight changes in your child and tell what is “normal.”

It is your right to be involved in and understand your child’s care. Keep the following tips in mind: 

  • Keep a notebook and pen. Use it to write down important information and questions to ask later.
  • Ask for an interpreter if needed. You have the right to an interpreter during every interaction with UCLA Health staff. 
  • Don’t be afraid to ask questions. You are the expert when it comes to your child. If you see something that seems wrong or confusing, please stop and ask your doctor or nurse about it.

To make the most of your time with your medical team, consider making a list of questions or concerns ahead of time to discuss with your child’s care team.

Patient Advocates

If you have any concerns or issues during your child’s admission, patient advocates are available to help. Issues you may want to discuss with a patient advocate include, but are not limited to: 

  • Quality of care
  • Staff interactions
  • Access to care
  • General assistance and information

Patient advocates can facilitate communication between patients, their family and their care providers. Patient advocates also help to rebuild trust between patients, their family and our care teams.

To contact the Office of Patient Experience and talk to a patient advocate, call 310-267-9113 or visit the Office of Patient Experience webpage.