Brian P. Jacob, David C. Chen, Bruce Ramshaw, Shirin Towfigh (eds.) - The SAGES Manual of Groin Pain-Springer International Publishing (2016)

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B. Forman and B. Ramshaw
certain that the patient’s needs have been clearly identified and met as
much as possible.
The Operation and Postoperative Care
During a surgical procedure, the patient care manager and the clinical
team must become the coordinators who remove the vacuum of doubt
that can surround those awaiting the outcome of the procedure. This is
not a “hand-holding” process, but rather a clear effort to offer complete
information regarding the processes taking place beyond the doors of the
operating room. The questions must be addressed. The answers must be
complete. The “next step” should be foreseen and explained. Never
should there be the assumption that the less said the better. In most
cases, more information is needed rather than less. This is one clear
example of the patient’s needs extending beyond the operating room and
including those who are waiting nervously to see what happens next.
The patient care manager and the clinical team must be available and
responsive to that part of the patient that is in the waiting room while the
surgery is taking place.
During the postoperative period, and even after discharge from the
hospital, communication must continue if the patient’s needs are to be
met. The clinical recommendations must be transferred to the patient
and to the family in such a way that they understand what is included in
the postoperative protocol and what is expected of them. Communication
between caregivers must also be completed to assure that the patient’s
needs are met. Once again it is the patient care manager and the clinical
team who must facilitate all of this communication.
The role of the patient care manager and the clinical team during the
transition from the surgical facility to the next level of care—whether to
a rehabilitation center, another care facility, or to the patient’s home—is
particularly important. There must be assurance that all paperwork and
other orders for medical follow-up are completed correctly and in a
timely fashion. The patient and the medical team must be assured that
care has been taken to ensure proper handling of this next level of care.
Once again, communication among all who are involved in the care is
critical. The patient care manager and the clinical team must be directly
involved in all of this transfer of information. For patients with chronic
groin pain, this often includes communication with not only families but
also physicians in other locations. Developing relationships with the
support and caregivers in the patient’s hometown, often at a great
distance, is another important role for the patient care manager.