Espresso Liz

patient-safety:

Elements of the toolkit are:

• Staying Safe When You Leave the Hospital, a journal-like bi-fold booklet that guides patients and family members to collect their thoughts and ask the right questions. By using this tool, they will have what they need to know and do before leaving the hospital in an easy to use and update format. A cover page allows for the patient to record their thoughts and keep them private. If you have the capability to print two-sided, a print friendly version is available here.

• Talking to Your Doctor or Nurse, a handy list that gives patients and their advocates advice and tips for making the most of their conversations with their doctor or nurse, wherever such conversations occur. 
  
  
• The Emotional Side of Healthcare: Six Tips for Talking to Your Doctor , a trifold brochure presenting six strategies for coping with conversations that often feel stressful for patients and families. This can also serve as a reminder or educational tool for healthcare team members to raise their sensitivity to the emotional realities patients bring with them as they talk to their doctor or nurse. 
  
  
• The Emotional Side of Healthcare: Six Tips for Talking to Your Doctor, a condensed poster version of the brochure that lists the six tips for easy reference. A version highlighting the healthcare team is also included.  Lastly this poster is being made available in bright colors (doctor and team versions) for posting in open patient areas and staff lounges. 
  
  
• Communicating with Patients and Families for Smooth, Safe Transitions, this short document explains how patients and families often feel during this stressful time, and how healthcare providers can open lines of communication. It can be used by hospital training personnel to lay a foundation for understanding if the toolkit is rolled out organization wide.
  
  
• Glossary of Terms, listing of words our patient advisors suggested would be helpful for consumers to help them understand terms that may arise during the transition out of the hospital.

In addition, the toolkit is accompanied by a set of additional links that will expand on the materials developed for this toolkit. Lastly, the team that came together to create the tools are acknowledged and links to their organizations may direct you to other items of interest both specific to care transitions and other areas of interest.