Question

Mediation/ Negotiation
David is an alert and orientated 28 year old man with a terminal brain tumour. He has been sick for a year intermittently, having gone through two operations and rounds of chemotherapy. He has a Not for Resuscitation Order (NFR). David has agreed to the NFR order but his parents say that they are not ready to accept that he is dying and that a miracle might occur to cure the cancer. What are the mediation/ negotiation tasks to manage such situations?

Answer 1

Getting an NFR order must be with the consent of patient or his family. Here David is 28 yrs old and has accepted the DFR order, but the parents are not ready to accept it. The tasks include:

• Active listening to focus fully on the other individual concerns and demonstrate understanding.
• Self -disclosure of one’s feelings without blaming others
• Explaining what aspects of the situation are most concerning
• Empathizing and demonstrating understanding of the other individual’s feelings
• Reframing the conflict as a mutual problem that can be resolved in collaboration with one another
• Using praise to re-enforce the use of the family’s strengths
• Assisting the family to take responsibility for problem-solving their concerns