CDC Wonder

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It is important in healthcare to have resources outside of what the facility offers. Too often I send patients home with limited written orders from the doctor on how to care for themselves after a procedure. I must further educate them based on personal knowledge and not written sources. Along with educating them on how to care for their post-surgical wounds, I also educate them on how to prevent complications that their chronic disease might bring. For instance, diabetes and COPD are the among the top concerns for healing. Diabetics won’t heal quickly and the population with lung disease becomes worse due to immobility from the pain.  The Division of Informatics and Surveillance provides sources and data and ensures that patients receive the most useful and up to date information (ANA, 2021).  

Preoperatively, patients receive education from anesthesia on their current health issues. Heart disease is a big concern that is addressed. National Cardiovascular Disease Surveillance Data has the most current information that could be used by staff admitting the patient. Here is a link I found to be informative for patients who have heart disease and require more education regarding it. 
https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/about.htm.
Links to an external site.
 This information could also be presented to them upon discharge as a reminder to be diligent with their doctors’ visits. 

Nurses who use telehealth can obtain more in-depth information for patients that the clinic might not offer. There are multiple links for similar sources, but once you learn how to navigate the site, you can download the most recent information and present this to patients in terms they can understand. Every time I clicked a link, there were dozens more that caught my eye and I ended up finding information on work related asthma! I only joke about being allergic to work, but apparently there is such a thing! LOL 

I find this site innovative because there are so many ways to obtain the information you are looking for. With creativity and time, you could create a nice pamphlet for a patient based on all the different sources there are. The digital world continues to evolve, and patients need the option to receive the same care and education digitally as they would in the office. 

( Bethany)

American Nurses Association (2021). 
Nursing: Scope and standards of practice (4th ed.). American Nurses Association (ANA).  

Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2021) 
https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/about.htm
Links to an external site.