create the sense of the good contact you have already worked hard to establish at the outset Being alone in a room without communication makes the parent feel that you and the ED team not care about them or their child PARENTAL PRESENCE In the recent decade there has been a growing movement to allow for parental presences for procedures, trauma, and code situations EDs that have allowed family presence have found it helpful for parents, patients and care providers It shows the families how much we care and how much effort goes into a resuscitation SETTING REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS Another method of increasing your humanism is to pay attention to the expectations you set Failure to meet expectations leaves the patient and family feeling that there is a lack of caring or a lack of competence Do not make promises you cannot keep There may be situations where families come to the ED with preordained expectations In such cases expectations must be realigned and made more realistic to the capacity of your center It is best to this at the time you are establishing your relationship with the patient/family CHECKING ON COMMUNICATION (FOLLOW-UP) Checking on the outcome of a patient’s course either through a visit to the in-patient unit or via a telephone call really demonstrates that you care Make this a routine part of your practice It not only aids your physician– patient relationship but also adds to your learning about the correctness of your diagnosis, effect of treatment, and evolution of disease course HUMANISM WITH COLLEAGUES AND STAFF (DEBRIEFINGS–TEAMWORK) Humanism is not limited to your interactions with patients and families It also applies to interactions with colleagues and staff members in the ED Teamwork is an important part of the humanistic approach when team members are respected, valued and shown appreciation Debriefing meetings help to actualize these values and allow for expression of human