Support for Health Issues in the Lab - How to Ask?

[smallcleanrat]

*sigh*

So it looks like I'll probably need to address my labmates soon-ish regarding the possibility of needing help regarding health issues. PI and I have already discussed only coming into lab when other lab members are present, but labmates could probably use basic info on 1) what they might observe 2) what's appropriate first aid and 3) when to call for medical attention.

I...don't really want to burden anybody with this role; but I'd also rather not be ignored (or have labmates be caught off-guard not knowing what to do) if I really need help. Fearing if things get worse I'll be forced onto medical leave, but that hasn't happened yet. Also worried this will cause people to avoid me so as not to risk being in the position of having to supply aid.

Um...how do I broach the subject in a way that induces the least stress in my labmates (while still conveying that certain scenarios are serious enough to warrant calling emergency services)?

[Kron3007]

I am a PI and am currently dealing with a somewhat similar situation with a grad student who will need extra help etc.  In my case, I am leaving it to my student how best to approach this to respect their privacy etc., But feel it is best for me to address to the group rather than having them contact people.

If they agree, I plan to discuss this during a lab meeting and contacting a few people who will have to pitch in extra directly.  They will be included on any papers that come from the work to acknowledge their extra help.

Likewise, in your situation, I think it is best if your PI addresses this during a lab meeting.  At this time, it would likely be best for them to introduce the issue and make it clear that as an inclusive group, it is everyone's job to pitch in and help out.  From there, you would likely need to lay everything out.

In the end, it is your PIs job to ensure you are properly accommodated and to make it clear that everyone needs to pitch in.  This may be awkward for you and others, but needs to be discussed openly.

[doc700]

I am a PI also and I have a student in my group with Type 1 diabetes.  The student brought it up himself at the first group meeting, shared what we should be on the look out for and what we should do if he had an issue (basically where he had emergency gummy bears stored and to contact help).  It was about a 3 minute conversation and everyone was extremely supportive.  I'm not sure how much you are willing to share but at least in this case it wasn't a large issue.

I'm not sure what your specific medical needs are but presumably the role of the group is to know when to contact emergency medical services and what to do in the 3 minutes before the medical team arrives?  I don't think other students would be providing more medical care than that but its important for them to know what to look out for and do in the meantime.

I also wouldn't think about this as a burden to other group members.  Being on the lookout for medical issues is a really minor role for other students to take on.  In my group, the students are all supporting each other as the work with hazard chemicals, voltage sources etc.  Its part of your job as a researcher to be paying attention to those around you and stepping in if there is a medical/safety issue.  I don't see being on the look out for a potential medical problem as outside the norm.

[Charlotte]

Others have provided some good information. I wanted to jump in because when I was a student I had two classmates who had health problems and occasionally needed help. I did not mind whatsoever.  I did need information though. One classmate was very vague about what they needed and I understand wanting to maintain privacy but I did worry if I knew how to handle the situation correctly. I felt nervous simply because I didn't know what was needed and I wasn't sure if they were comfortable discussing it so I didn't ask.

The next classmate I worked with who had health issues, I felt more comfortable asking what they needed and what I should watch for. I specifically asked them questions on what to do and got a couple emergency phone numbers from them as well so I could contact their family if necessary. I was more at ease knowing I was prepared.

FWIW. In my situation, more details and specific instructions helped me feel more prepared if something were to happen.

[smallcleanrat]

Thanks for the insights, everyone.

I had hoped the PI would be ok addressing it in a lab meeting, but he thought it would be more appropriate for me to talk about it. He suggested it might be easier for me to talk to people one on one, but I really didn't want to have to give the explanation multiple times.

I worry about making people uncomfortable since some kinds of help are more awkward to provide than others. I had a difficult time earlier getting some people to understand that if they suspect something's wrong, better to err on the side of caution and quickly check in with "Hey, are you ok?" My PI would tell me if I ever needed help, all I needed to do was ask. I need people to understand that there are situations in which someone cannot ask for help (e.g. person is unconscious). It's why I need to ask in advance.

Lending someone a hand when they've twisted an ankle is not on the same level of discomfort as needing to check on someone's breathing or moving them out of harm's way if they cannot do it themselves. Something about the person in distress not being able to explicitly tell you what they need or give feedback on how they are feeling makes the whole situation more fraught with uncertainty and stress.

Because of this I wonder if it would help to put together a sort of cheat sheet (e.g. "In Scenario A, do First Aid actions #3 and #5. If situation does not resolve within X minutes, call for emergency services.") so nobody has to worry about remembering everything.

The info I need to convey is essentially how to recognize when a situation will likely resolve on its own vs. when a situation warrants calling for medics. I just feel really uncomfortable telling people that they might have to drop what they're doing just to keep an eye on me until it's clear which way things are going. Makes me feel high maintenance.

[Hegemony]

If people might be faced with a situation where someone needs medical help, it is a kindness to them as well as to yourself to make sure that they know what to do. Making a sheet of instructions available sounds good.

I once was in a group where someone in the group had epilepsy, and talked about it frequently. But it was not until she had a seizure right there in the group that we realized that she had never told us what to do if she had one. And she was not really alert afterwards, and certainly not capable of getting home by herself (she normally took the bus), and we had no way of contacting her husband, and we didn't even know where she lived. (She didn't have any ID with an address on her, such as a driver's license, because she had epilepsy and therefore didn't drive.) So we couldn't even take her home and knock on her door and rouse her husband.  It was a difficult situation.

So it is not being high maintenance to provide instructions — instructions make it easy. What would actually be high maintenance is people being faced with a medical situation where they had to try to figure out the right course of action urgently, by themselves, in a stressful situation. People will be grateful to have guidance.

[doc700]

The person is unconscious situation could presumably come up in a very bad lab accident (inhaled some chemicals etc).  So I don't think labmates knowing to be on the lookout for that and addressing it is an inconvenience -- that is part of their job.  Instructions sound good.  Could you just email them to the group if you aren't able to discuss it at group meeting?

I assume you've thought this through with your PI, I would want to think carefully about how a student with these medical issues was accommodated in our COVID plan.  At our institution, we have very strict policies and a lot of lab rooms can only have 1 person/room.  We have 1 small office at the end of a hall that only 1 person can use during COVID and no one would walk by if they weren't going there.  Perhaps your space is laid out differently or university less strict, but my worry would be what happens if no one is around (likely due to COVID)? As a PI I would also want to explicitly address with the group that they should break the 6 foot social distancing to attend to a student in distress.  That may seem obvious but right now my group is operating under the "see someone in the hallway, run the other way due to COVID" mentality.

[Liquidambar]

Instructions sound good.  Could you just email them to the group if you aren't able to discuss it at group meeting?

If your lab is like the ones I worked in, maybe there's a good place to post a sheet of instructions with emergency contact numbers.  Most labs seem to already have protocols posted all over the place.

Does your university have an office that deals with student accommodations?  (E.g., extended time on tests, but also other disability accommodations.)  If so, I recommend talking with them.  I was told by the accommodation office at my school that one of their major roles is helping students figure out how to effectively advocate for themselves.  It seems like you're feeling awkward because you'd prefer your PI to talk to the group, but he wants you to do it.  Perhaps this office could help you strategize on how best to talk your PI into handling it (or even if this is part of his job duties), or otherwise how best to talk to your labmates.

[smallcleanrat]

Thanks for the encouragement, everybody. It helped me feel a little more confident in further discussing this with my PI. He is going to leave it up to me how much I am willing to share about my particular situation, but he did agree to address the group about standard safety info (e.g. what emergency numbers to call) so it is brought to the front of people's minds.

doc700, as you mention, social distancing restrictions are an additional complication. We are also under a six-foot-distance policy and have to work in shifts to avoid exceeding the maximum allowed number of people allowed in lab at a time. The distancing alone increases the chance that an injured person in need of help might go unnoticed.

PI and I agreed that I will not work in lab alone until health situation stabilizes somewhat; this might take some additional planning as some work stations are in small areas in which two people cannot really be 6-feet apart. PI has previously raised possibility of me shifting to focus more on data analyses and other computer-based work if being able to do benchwork safely becomes more of an issue.

PI and I had a quick sit-down with the subset of lab members most likely to be working around the same times and general locations that I do. We discussed more specific first aid responses. From what I could tell, they all seemed pretty ok with it and were quite supportive (maybe a little nervous? but that's understandable). With one of the lab members I have a closer friendship with, I made a few additional requests like contacting my SO and making sure I have my backpack with me in the event I do get taken to hospital by paramedics (because being in hospital without cell phone, ID, insurance card or money...not ideal).

PI also has contact info for my SO.

Currently feeling somewhat relieved that labmates are now better informed, but also quite self-conscious and embarrassed.

Still need to put together that cheat sheet. There are probably other things I could do to prep for emergency. Does anyone have additional suggestions?

[the_geneticist]

Hi smallcleanrat,
Some thoughts on what to put on your "cheat sheet" of information:
Your full name and birthdate
Cell number for your SO and any other emergency contacts
Your address in town
List of known allergies to medications (or if none say "no known allergies")
Names of your doctors & their contact information
Where to find a list of your current medication (maybe make a card to carry in your wallet?)


Take care of yourself.  If you need to take a short leave of absence it's OK. 

[bopper]

Also make sure you have a Medical ID bracelet

[Charlotte]

If you have an iPhone, you can set it up to have a medical ID as well. Presumably, first responders are aware of and check for it but that may be a rumor.
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT207021

[mythbuster]

In terms of discussing this with the lab, I would center it around lab safety. You have training in chem, biohazard, radiation hazards and how to deal with them. This is just an extension of that.
You might even encourage (or have the PI encourage- this really should be their job) the entire lab to set up a list like the one the Geneticist recommends. As a lab PI, I'm thinking that we should do this as a group- it would be good for me to know who to contact, allergies, etc.
  If it's a discussion about everyone's health and not just yours it might be less stressful all around as well.

[tiva]

...Because of this I wonder if it would help to put together a sort of cheat sheet (e.g. "In Scenario A, do First Aid actions #3 and #5. If situation does not resolve within X minutes, call for emergency services.") so nobody has to worry about remembering everything.

YES to a cheat sheet! Clear guidelines printed out, laminated, and posted on the wall will help everyone. Others have suggested key family information in case of emergency.

I'd suggest a flow chart with possible actions, like the diving emergency flow charts you see posted in diving venues. See https://www.ddrc.org/wp-content/uploads/diving-incident-mgmt-flowchart.pdf