Contact us
High contrast
This page has been translated automatically.
In hospital, everyone actually wants to help. But sometimes emotions get in the way. Nursing specialist Sebastian Fortmeier teaches UKBB staff how to prevent dicey situations with patients and worried relatives from escalating.
Sparks fly in the meeting room. A woman's shouting penetrates through the closed door into the corridor. What she wants to say remains unintelligible. Her words disappear in her own noise. The only thing that is clear is that she has finally lost her patience and her temper.
«Hello, hello!» another voice now calls out to her. Hands clap. «Now listen to me for a moment!» And then something strange happens: the world stands still. Just for a moment. But long enough for reason to return to the meeting room.
«Very nice, that's enough,» says a deep male voice in a relaxed but clear tone. This voice belongs to Sebastian Fortmeier. He is a nursing specialist and de-escalation trainer at UKBB and has the situation in the meeting room fully under control. He is currently giving his course. Loud acting interludes by the participants are part of the training.
Sebastian Fortmeier is a bear of a man. Big, strong, good-natured. Definitely not the type to magically attract problems. And yet the 39-year-old has already experienced a lot in his job.
Having grown up in Paderborn, Sebastian Fortmeier took his first steps in the care sector in various Berlin hotspots. A lot of things came together: The drunk grandad who wants to fight you right after a slightly flippant remark. The armed junkie on a desperate search for the poison cabinet. Or the crazy guy who almost strangles a work colleague.
«At some point, it was all far too stressful for me,» says Sebastian Fortmeier. He realised that experience alone is not enough of a teacher. He longed for relief. «That's why I finally attended a de-escalation course.»
He has known ever since: You can actually learn how to deal with such difficult situations. And you don't even have to be a bear of a man to do it.
For Sebastian Fortmeier, the investment paid off immediately: «My day-to-day work was much more relaxed after the course.»
The level of commitment in his course is high. Every participant knows that sooner or later they will be confronted with a tricky situation again. Because even if things are much calmer at UKBB than in adult hospitals, there is a lot to de-escalate: The frightened child who vehemently resists a blood sample being taken. The drunken teenager who talks stupidly to everyone in the emergency waiting area. And last but not least, the conflicts with worried parents. «They probably cause the most trouble,» says Sebastian Fortmeier, «so it's certainly helpful if all the medical staff pull in the same direction.»
You can feel how much pressure parents are under today. If you add anxiety and waiting times to the stress, it's an explosive mixture. Sebastian Fortmeier can understand this. «We're used to the hospital routine. But of course most parents don't know that!»
This is exactly what his courses are all about: understanding and conscious behaviour. «Acting is a valuable element here,» explains trainer Fortmeier. «It allows you to take on the perspective of the troublemaker. You get a better sense of what different attempts at de-escalation do to you - and which points you could possibly tackle more skilfully.»
The participating doctors and nurses are extremely happy that they can internalise the basic techniques of prevention and de-escalation in Sebastian Fortmeier's course. Experiences they have already made also come up again and again. The training is an ideal opportunity to reflect on your own behaviour and learn from each other. This is supported by video analyses.
The course also teaches participants to recognise and accept their personal limits. «Unfortunately, I can't just give the participants a few tools and then they'll be able to deal with all future conflicts with ease,» says Sebastian Fortmeier. «Conflicts are too complex and unique for that.» But he can help participants to adopt the right attitude in a difficult situation.
«Basically, we always de-escalate ourselves,» says Sebastian Fortmeier. It's a kind of guiding principle that the course participants will take with them. Keep calm yourself when someone snaps. Be aware that abusive behaviour in hospital rarely has a hostile origin. Don't take anything personally.
«Aggression is usually an expression of naked desperation,» explains Fortmeier. The situation can usually be defused if the actual problem behind the visible behaviour is recognised. And to do this, you have to listen with a «professional ear».
In extreme cases, it still makes sense to call in the security service. They have only rarely had to intervene at UKBB so far. But the cooperation works extremely well. «The guys show a lot of sensitivity,» says Fortmeier.
Training continues diligently in the meeting room. The theory seems to be working. The next exercise involves convincing an anorexic teenage girl to give up her smartphone overnight. And that takes time. But the nursing specialist does everything right: with a lot of patience and skilful questions, he responds to the protesting patient, gains her trust and finally finds a solution together with her. She hands him her mobile phone. There is no escalation.
The Medgate Kids Line provides quick and uncomplicated medical advice if your child is unwell. The medical team of our partner Medgate is available to you by telephone around the clock.
For emergencies abroad: Call the emergency number of your health insurance company. You will find this number on your health insurance card.
More information: On the Page of the emergency ward you will find everything you need to know about behaviour in emergencies, typical childhood illnesses and waiting times.
144 Outpatient clinic
145 Tox Info Suisse (Poisonings)
117 Police
118 Fire brigade
Which topic would you like to contact us about?
For praise or criticism, please use the Feedback form.
