Follow-Up to the Cath Lab Digest October 2005 Article Entitled: Educating Invasive Cardiology Patients from Multicultural Backgr

At our facility, a nurse practitioner and/or a physician assistant completes the history and physical on all outpatients. They enter the information into a tablet PC computer that contains an electronic-based form that is printed out and placed in the patient’s chart upon completion. If they are not available or are completing other tasks, a cardiology fellow, interventional fellow, and/or the attending physician complete(s) a printed version of the form. During this process, the patient or a family member completes a self-history health checklist, while the assigned nurse completes the questions that are contained within the body of the paper, Educating Invasive Cardiology Patients from Multicultural Backgrounds. The questions are printed in an approved multipage clinical pathway that serves as the master checklist for the educational checklist, preprocedural care, immediate procedural care and postprocedure care. During this process, every allied health employee who comes in contact with the patient is responsible for an element of the patient’s education. Each employee is considered an educator because the completed tasks very seldom require more than thirty minutes prior to arriving in the procedure room. During set-up for the study, the circulator assumes responsibility for the Call to Order, because this person (RN or technologist) is required to administer intravenous sedatives and analgesics and other necessary medications throughout the procedure. This person confirms that consents have been properly completed and that a sedation assessment form is completed thirty minutes before the procedure begins. While the circulator is reviewing the chart, the patient is asked questions such as Do you know why you are here today? Has the procedure been adequately explained to you? Do you have more questions? Are you allergic to any medications? Are you a diabetic? If so, do you take insulin or medications by mouth? What was your blood sugar this morning? Who is with you today?, and so forth. These questions, which require an average of five minutes, are asked as the patient is being prepared for the invasive or interventional cardiac. With a well-trained team, there will be no added labor costs. At this writer’s center, teamwork is required to accomplish patient education in the least amount of time possible while at the same time, providing high-quality patient care. Different family traditions and customs are taken into consideration by the staff for patients from different cultures. How we communicate with our patients at their level of understanding enhances their ability to comply with their medical management plan set forth by the physician and his/her medical team. In closing, this writer firmly believes that every caregiver who encounters a patient is responsible for helping that person and his family to understand the mechanisms by which he/she can achieve and maintain a healthy lifestyle within the realm of their medical condition. The process begins when the patient crosses the threshold of the healthcare facility and encounters the first employee, regardless of whether that employee will ultimately be the patient’s assigned caregiver.

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