June 2014

IN THIS ISSUE

It's Summertime: Use Sunscreen

It's Deja Vu All Over Again

Mobile Care Coordinator
Driving Positive Results

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It's Summertime:
Use Sunscreen

Summer begins on June 21st and we want you, as always, to protect your skin from the sun.

If you are out in the sun, the best protection is to use sunscreen. Use a broad spectrum (UVA and UVB) sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15. When outdoors, reapply every 2 hours.

Of course, staying in the shade during the hours of 10AM and 4PM, when the sun's rays are strongest, is also a good strategy. So are sunglasses that wrap around your face.

For more info, check out the American Society of Clinical Oncology's website.

Mobile Care Coordinator Role is Driving Positive Results

Heidi Petersohn, RN alongside the MCC SUV

Nine months into the pilot program with Teamsters Local 830, the Mobile Care Coordinator program is receiving 'rave reviews' from patients, family members, and union officials.

Having interacted with more than 900 patients since September, 2013, Heidi Petersohn, RN, BSN, is driving around the tri-state area in a very brightly designed Ford Escape SUV visiting patients at home, in the hospital, and accompanying them to their physician visits.

If you see the Mobile Care Coordinator SUV 'out and about' on the roadways, give her a toot!

Wasn't it Yogi Berra who said, "It's deja vu all over again?" Well, welcome back, Flame Reader. It IS deja vu. I'm having surgery again. Guess I'm getting another chance to learn how to be a good patient! (see March 2013 issue of The Flame for clarification).

This time, since it is non-emergent, I've had time to plan, prepare, clean, food shop, cook, and set up coverage because "they" are telling me I'll be on the sidelines for 4-6 weeks. We'll see.

And because each July 1st, a brand new batch of interns start their physician careers in the hospital, I will be on high alert as I enter the hospital during their first week on the job.

As we enter the first few months of the new "Intern Season," be mindful if you are going to a hospital that employs residents and interns. And if you're needing any surgical procedure, please take note of the additional tips below to help you manage.

Summer is Here,

And So Are the Interns!

Betty

Betty Long, RN, MHA

President/CEO

Guardian Nurses Healthcare Advocates

Having Surgery?

More advice from the stretcher:

In March's issue of The Flame, we reviewed suggestions for you to follow when approaching a surgery. This issue, we include these additional tips:

Read your consent. This is important. Informed consent is more than just a signature on a page. It's about COMMUNICATION and it should begin a discussion between you and your surgeon---started well before a surgical procedure. Not the few minutes before you're about to go into the OR while you're lying on the stretcher. Review what the consent says and make sure you are comfortable with what you are signing. If you're not, speak up and ask your surgeon.
Know that in a teaching hospital, interns and residents work in the OR. If you are getting care in a teaching hospital, your surgery will likely be supported by mostly inexperienced doctors. After all, this is how they get the experience. Attending surgeons do need help. Those fresh, young medical students who have graduated to become first year residents (also known as interns) and the interns move on to become 2nd year and 3rd year residents. If you don't want them helping in your case, let your surgeon know.
Be honest when you're being interviewed or "worked up" for any procedure or surgery. The questions you're being asked are being asked for a reason---your safety. This is not the time to fudge your weight or not report a medication or over-the-counter supplement. Honestly IS the best policy.
Ask your surgeon what his/her preferred post op pain management technique is. There is a post op pain relief system called ON-Q Pain Buster. It gets patients back to normal faster by automatically and continuously delivering a local anesthetic through a catheter along the incision. This allows patients to get back to normal faster because they don't have incision pain. There are also other systems like epidural catheters and patient-controlled anesthesia (PCA) pumps. Depending on your surgery, and your surgeon, it could differ. Again, ask.
Speaking of post op pain and systemic narcotics, let's talk about 'getting regular.' Narcotics used to control post op pain have a frequent and nasty side effect---they slow down the normal movement of your bowels. Prior to your surgery, you may want to address this issue with your surgeon. If you're having abdominal surgery, you surely do not want to get constipated post op and strain against that incision. Ouch!
Ask your surgeon if he/she expects a significant amount of blood loss during the surgery and whether you'll need to receive blood. If the answer is yes, and you're interested, ask about donating your own blood. It's called autologous donation and is coordinated through the American Red Cross. Friends and family can also offer their donations if it's appropriate and they're a match.
After the surgery or procedure, ask the doctor for a copy of the operative note for your own records. If there were diagnostic images taken like a CT scan or MRI, get those images on a CD that you can file away with your paper records. (Don't try to actually look at the CD as you are likely to damage the files.) So you are not frightened by the language used in the operative report, suggest to your surgeon that you'd like to review it at your post-op visit.
Follow the instructions offered to you post operatively--be they from your surgeon or your nurses. Chances are this is not the first time they've helped a patient like you so their knowledge and experience will be beneficial. Listen to the professionals---as long as they're not an intern in his first week of internship.

Guardian Nurses Healthcare Advocates
215-836-0260 | Toll Free 888-836-0260 | info@guardiannurses.com | GuardianNurses.com