Download Fact sheets for procedures and treatments

Instructions for Writing Fact Sheets: Treatments and Procedures
A fact sheet is a 1- to 4-page document that
provides basic facts about a procedure or
treatment. It should focus on the most
important things for patients and families
to know and do, including:
 What the procedure is and how it’s
performed
 What to expect before, during, and after
 Information about risks, benefits, and
alternatives that will support informed
consent
 Basic discharge and home-care instructions
General instructions for writing:
The purpose of the fact sheet is to inform and reassure the patient about what will happen.
The best way to do this is to write in the same straightforward and conversational tone you
use when speaking to the patient. You can do this when you:
 Speak directly to the patient in a conversational tone, using words such as you, your
doctor, your appendix (or other body part), etc.
 Use simple, non-specialized vocabulary when possible. Define new or more difficult
vocabulary when necessary.
A colonoscope is a long, thin tube with a tiny camera at the end.
 Each heading poses a question. Try to answer the question in the first sentence.
What is it? It is a test to help determine the cause of your pain.
 Use active voice most of the time.
Your doctor will remove the tissue.
 Be brief. Try to keep sentences and paragraphs short. Use the amount of space on this
worksheet as a guide for the length of each section.
These are recommendations for writing a fact sheet. Use your own best judgment about what
the patient needs to know and how to discuss it.
Once you’ve completed this worksheet, submit it to Patient and Provider Publications at
[email protected], or to the writer who is working with your team.
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Instructions
Example: Laparoscopic Appendectomy
 Briefly describe the procedure, including the
general category in which it falls (surgery,
treatment for a condition, procedure to
diagnose a problem, etc). This will
distinguish it from diseases or conditions.
An appendectomy is a surgery to remove your
appendix. The appendix is a small pouch of
tissue attached to the lower right side of your
colon. It has no known function, and living
without an appendix causes no known health
problems.
What is it?
 If necessary, introduce the basic idea of how
this procedure is performed. (You will be
able to provide more detail later.)
 Introduce the key body parts, tools, or terms
necessary to understand this fact sheet.
Write your text here
Traditionally, an appendectomy is performed
through an incision (opening) on the right side
of the lower abdomen. In laparoscopic
appendectomy, however, the surgery is
performed through 3 or 4 very small (¼- to ½inch) incisions. A long tube with a tiny camera
at the end (a laparoscope) will show an
enlarged image of the procedure on a screen.
The laparoscope has small surgical instruments
that your surgeon will use to remove your
appendix.
Illustration (optional)
Torso showing large and possibly small
intestine, and appendix.
Describe an illustration that will orient the
patient to where or how the procedure is done.
Identify what body parts should be labeled, or
what you want to emphasize. Suggest a caption.
Caption: The appendix is located near the place
where the small intestine meets the large
intestine (colon).
The Patient and Provider Publications team will
provide an illustration for your fact sheet.
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Instructions
Why do I need it?
 Briefly describe the symptoms or conditions
which this procedure is meant to treat.
 Describe what this procedure allows the
doctor to see, do, remove, test for, etc.
 If the procedure involves taking tissue or
other samples, describe what the doctor will
do with them
Example: Laparoscopic Appendectomy
Write your text here
You need an appendectomy if you have
appendicitis, a condition in which your
appendix has become infected and inflamed.
Symptoms can include:
 Abdominal pain, first near the navel, then
moving to the lower right
 Loss of appetite
 Nausea or vomiting
 Abdominal swelling
 Constipation or diarrhea
If your appendix is not removed soon enough it
can burst and cause greater infection and even
death.
Your doctor may recommend laparoscopic
appendectomy if your appendicitis has
been identified early and your appendix has
not burst. If the infection is already
advanced or your appendix has burst, your
doctor will likely recommend a traditional
approach using a larger incision. Your
doctor may also recommend traditional
surgery for other reasons.
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Instructions
Example: Laparoscopic Appendectomy
Benefits
Benefits over traditional appendectomy include:
List the potential benefits of having this
procedure, possibly including:
 Less pain after surgery
 Expected outcomes
 If this is an alternative procedure, benefits of
this procedure as compared to the related or
more traditional procedure
Risks
List potential risks, possibly including:
 General risks related to anesthesia, or surgical
procedures
 Risks specific to this procedure
 An indication of frequency of a particular risk
such as “rare” or “3 in 1000 cases”
 A disclaimer such as, “Your doctor will do
everything possible to give you the best
results. Even so, not all outcomes will be
successful.”
 Shorter hospital stay
 Faster return of bowel function and normal
activities
 Smaller scars
As with any surgery, complications sometimes
occur. The risk of these complications is not
greater than with a traditional open
appendectomy.
 Bleeding
 Infection
 Blood clot in the lungs (very rare)
 A leak at the end of the colon where the
appendix was removed
 Injury to nearby organs
Alternatives
List alternatives, possibly including:
Traditional appendectomy (with one larger
incision)
 Another procedure
Once appendicitis starts, there is no known
medical therapy. The appendix must be
surgically removed.
 A statement such as “This procedure is
usually done after non-surgical treatments
have failed. These include medications,
physical therapy, and watching and waiting.”
Write your text here
 A statement such as: “If you feel your
symptoms are not severe enough to have this
procedure, tell your doctor.”
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Instructions
How do I prepare? (optional)
If your are writing a 4-page fact sheet, you have
room, or the procedure requires extensive
preparation, you can start with instructions on
how to prepare, such as
 What medications to stop before the
procedure
 When to stop eating or drinking
 Whether to arrange for time off work or
someone to drive them home
Example: Laparoscopic Appendectomy
Write your text here
Take these steps to help your surgery and
recovery go better:
(example from Spinal Nerve Decompression)
 Stop smoking. If you smoke, try to stop
before your surgery. Non-smokers have
fewer complications related to surgery. More
importantly, smoking slows bone healing and
could cause your surgery to fail.
 Stop certain medications. Stop taking
aspirin 2 weeks before surgery. Stop taking
anti-inflammatory medications such as
ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) and naproxen
(Aleve) 1 week before surgery. Tell your
surgeon if you are taking any blood thinners
so your surgeon can help you stop these as
well.
 Ask for time off work. Ask your doctor how
long you may need to be off work, and make
arrangements with your employer.
 Arrange for someone to drive you home.
Ask for someone to drive you home from the
hospital and to help you at home for the first
few days.
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Instructions
Example: Laparoscopic Appendectomy
What happens before?
Describe the steps that come before the
procedure, such as:
An appendectomy is almost always an
emergency surgery. When you get to the
hospital:
 Pre-procedure interviews or tests
 Your doctor will examine you and ask you a
series of questions about your symptoms and
medical history. These measures help make
sure that appendicitis is the cause of your
symptoms.
 Anesthesia or pain-management preparations
 Where they will be (hospital or doctor’s
office), what position they’ll lie in, etc.
Write your text here
 You may also have blood tests and imaging
tests (such as x-rays).
 You will be given a sedative to make you
sleepy.
 An intravenous (IV) line will be attached to
the back or your hand or your forearm so you
can be given anesthesia.
What happens during?
Describe the basic steps of the procedure,
possibly including:
 Catheters that will be inserted and what
they’ll be used for
 Where incisions will be made
 Tools that will be used
 How the problem will be treated
 How the procedure will end
Once you’re in the operating room:
 Your doctor will make a small incision in
your abdomen and insert a narrow tube,
called a cannula.
 A laparoscope (a long tube with a video
camera at the end) will be inserted through
the cannula. This projects an enlarged image
of the inside of your abdomen to a screen.
 Two or three other small openings will be
made in your abdomen, and cannulas will be
inserted. These help position tools that so the
appendix can be removed.
 The doctor will remove the appendix and
close the incisions.
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Instructions
What happens after?
Describe what the patient can expect to
experience after the procedure, possibly
including:
 What kind of pain they will have and how
long it should last
 How pain will be managed
 Other side effects
 When they can go home
Example: Laparoscopic Appendectomy
Write your text here
Most patients go home the day of the surgery.
When you go home:
 You will be given oral pain medication.
 You may have shoulder or neck pain for the
first 2 or 3 days after surgery. The pain may
get better if you change positions.
 You may have cramping for the first several
days, or your abdomen may feel swollen.
 You may have a sore throat for 1 to 2 days.
This is caused by the breathing tube used
during surgery.
 If you’re a woman, you may have some
vaginal bleeding. If you do, use pads, not
tampons.
 You may have a small amount of bleeding
from your surgical incisions.
What do I do when I get home?
 How long to rest
Once you get home, take these steps to make
your recovery go better:
 Appropriate recovery activity
 Rest on the day of the surgery.
 When to return to work or other normal
activity
 After that, get up and walk around 4 to 5
times a day. This will decrease the risk of
blood clots in your legs and soreness in your
muscles.
 How to manage pain at home
 Increase the time and distance that you walk
each day.
 Return to normal activity when your doctor
allows.
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Instructions
When should I call my doctor?
 List symptoms that may require a doctor’s
attention
 Do not include normal side effects that are
not dangerous
Example: Laparoscopic Appendectomy
Write your text here
Contact your doctor if you experience any of the
following:
 Severe abdominal pain, or pain you can’t
control
 Severe bloating or swollen stomach
 Chills, or fever above 101°
 Nausea or vomiting that doesn’t stop
 Bleeding from the rectum
 Increasing redness or pus draining from any
of your incisions
 Inability to urinate (pee) 8 to 10 hours after
surgery
 Feeling faint or light-headed even when
lying down
Frequently asked question (optional)
If you have room, you may want to answer
some commonly asked questions.
(Example from Epidural with Colon Surgery)
Will the epidural medication in my spine
make my legs weak or make it difficult for
me to walk?
No. The pain medication will be given in an
area of your spine that should not affect your
ability to walk.
How will I walk around if I am attached to a
supply of pain medication?
Your pain medication will be in a bag. The bag
can hang on a pole that can roll along beside
you as you walk. Your pain medication can go
along with you as you do the walking necessary
for your recovery.
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