One of the most disturbing aspects of having major surgery is the feeling of lack of control and knowledge about what to expect. Our cardiac surgery team, led by Dr. Kamal Khabbaz, has put together a simple graphic display to help patients and families through this time. It has all kinds of information, plus the equivalent of a patient checklist of things to do, expect, and hope for after surgery. I present it above. (You have to imagine it as a folded document, with the little red guy on the front, the "Patient Cardiac Surgery Clinical Pathway" in the inside, and the "Frequently Asked Questions" on the back.)
One of the most disturbing aspects of having major surgery is the feeling of lack of control and knowledge about what to expect. Our cardiac surgery team, led by Dr. Kamal Khabbaz, has put together a simple graphic display to help patients and families through this time. It has all kinds of information, plus the equivalent of a patient checklist of things to do, expect, and hope for after surgery. I present it above. (You have to imagine it as a folded document, with the little red guy on the front, the "Patient Cardiac Surgery Clinical Pathway" in the inside, and the "Frequently Asked Questions" on the back.)
This is SO GOOD and SO important.
ReplyDeleteMaybe we can give these brochures way before they actually need surgery, and it can scare people into being compliant. If I were a smoker, the thought of a catheter alone would make me quit.
ReplyDeleteAwesome visual. Love the simplicity. Tools like this have value in so many scenarios. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI am struck by the juxtaposition of between the routine ease of the language and the seriousness of the content. I agree with Matthew that the this could be as much of a deterrent as a post-op educational tool.
ReplyDeleteAbove all, having a good understanding of what is about to happen - that is, sharing everything that you can expect - really does help take some of the fear out of a procedure. Congrats to your cardio team, job well done!
Can I get a higher quality image of the brochure? We are working on some patient education brochures for our surgery department; and hoping to include timelines similar to this. I would love to see the content.
ReplyDeletethis is great! use it everyday. maybe give kudos to marnie & the nurses on farr 6 who were instrumental in its development
ReplyDelete