Question

The medical field often is an extremely complex and confusing industry with not a lot of information available in terms that can easily be understood.

Give your personal perspective regarding the quality of patient education you or a family member received in the past. Provide a brief summary of the education that you received including who was the medical leader responsible for communicating with you or your family member. Who were the other members of the healthcare team and how did or didn't they work together to provide assistance.

Answer 1

One afternoon Mr X. had come home looking very tired and lethargic. We had given him some water to drink and he was relaxing when all of a sudden he complained of numbness in the left hand and he had a slurry speech with drooping face. We rushed him to the hospital immediatley and Mr.X was admitted to the Emergency Room.

A group of Doctors who were available in the ER rushed to Mr.X and the chief physician diagnosed that Mr.X has a stroke. He immediately advised the nurse to move Mr.X for a MRI scan to check for blood clots in the brain. The Radiologist had performed the MRI. After the MRI scan, the Radiologist discussed with the chief physician and nurse that there are two blood clots which are 1.8cm and 2.4cm long and these would need to be disolved with thrombolytic therapy. Clot busting drugs were administered to Mr.X. Also anti-hypertensive medications were administered to treat the raised blood pressure. When Mr.X condition was stable, the chief physician had advised the Mr.X for physiotherapy. A dietician was also involved in planning Mr.X's diet for a long term.

The chief physician had discussed the condition of Mr.X with his family members explaining that Mr.X had an Ischemic Stroke and this could be due to stress or uncontrolled blood pressure. Since Mr.X condition is now stable he was advised home care management regarding exercises (active and passive exercises), to take medications as prescribed and dietary modifications to control high blood pressure. Regular followup was advised.