Not all caregiving for loved ones is a long-term commitment. With the growth of outpatient or same-day surgery, caregiving may now mean a commitment of several days or just one evening.
Over the past 40 years, modern medicine has made remarkable advances transforming common surgeries — tonsillectomies, hernia repairs, gallbladder removals and knee surgeries — into outpatient procedures that send people home in a few hours. This development can provoke anxiety for patients and their loved ones as they find themselves in charge of taking care of increasingly complex medical recoveries that can include wound drains, nerve blocks and complicated medication regimens.
Some have criticized this trend, saying it places too much pressure on family and loved ones. But advocates say outpatient surgery saves money and gives patients what they want: a quicker trip home.
“Research has shown that patients recover faster in the comfort of their own homes,” said Rebecca Craig, a nurse who is the CEO of a Colorado ambulatory surgical center and president of the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association. She said good discharge instructions are the key to helping patients and caregivers “have the information and training they need to be successful at home.” Click here to continue reading.
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