Communicating with your healthcare team

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Hi, my name is David and I'm a surgeon. Today, I'll be talking about effective ways of communicating with your care team. Your carer, support person or family members may also find it helpful to watch this video to learn about communicating with the team caring for you. 
 
Having surgery can be complex and we understand patients may feel stressed or worried about it. It's important to remember that it's okay to ask questions from the initial appointment to the recovery period and as you transition out of hospital. As the team looks after you, we encourage you to raise any concerns, whether they be big or small.
 
First off, we'll discuss the lead up to your surgery. In the weeks leading up to your surgery, you may be asked to attend appointments with some of the health professionals who'll be looking after you. This could be your surgeon, anaesthetist, or other health care professionals such as nurses, physios, dietitians, who will all help prepare you and get you fit for surgery. You might be approached by research teams informing you of important work we undertake in that area. There's no requirement to participate but these studies do help us understand new care pathways. Please do consider participating. 
 
Preparing for your appointments and bringing along a family member, support person or carer can help you feel more at ease and supported. They may also be able to assist with writing down information during your appointment. Preparing questions at home is a good way to make sure your concerns are addressed. 
 
During appointments, we will go through your surgery plan, including any risks and benefits, discuss your possible length of stay, as well as your recovery pathway. A handy tip to make sure you don't miss any information is to make an audio recording on your phone. You can ask if this is possible with your health professional at the beginning of your appointment.
 
If you'd like to know more information about the surgery please ask during your  pre-surgery appointment. Your team can direct you to further resources, support groups and contacts for your surgery care. If you leave your appointment feeling unsure or worried of anything in the lead up to your surgery, please contact us or request a follow-up appointment.
 
Now let's talk about what happens when recovering from your surgery. When recovering in hospital, there'll be many health professionals caring for you such as surgeons, pain specialists, physios and nurses. We understand that this can feel overwhelming. Therefore we encourage you to ask our team members what their role in caring for you is. 
 
During your recovery period in hospital your bedside nurse is a good first point of call for any of your questions or concerns. For example, you can ask what time the doctors make their rounds each day so you can invite a family member or carer to be present, or you can ask about pain management or your expected recovery time. We all work together to make sure your concerns are being heard. If you or your family member or carer are worried about the care that's being provided to you, please raise this with any of the members of the team. Also, if you're a family member or carer and feel that appropriate action has not been taken to address concerns, please raise them with the nurse in charge or a doctor. 
 
When it's time to leave hospital, it can be helpful to be aware of the next steps in your care. Please raise any concerns with the team caring for you. It is normal to feel anxious with change but having some extra information can help. Some questions you may wish to ask before you leave the hospital are: will my general practitioner be informed of my hospital stay? Do I have a follow up appointment booked? What do I need to be careful with after surgery? Do I need any additional help or support? When can I expect to resume physical activity? When can I expect to return to work or travel?
 
Let's recap what we've learned. It's important you feel able to raise questions about your surgery no matter how big or small they are. Getting ready for your surgery may involve appointments with your surgeon and the wider healthcare team. Invite a family member, support person, or carer to join any of your appointments. Prepare a question list for your appointment. Consider being part of a research project. The bedside nurse is the first point of call for any questions during your recovery. They really are wonderful. We encourage any family members or carers to raise concerns they might have. If you feel your concerns are not being heard, you, a family member or a carer can raise this with the care team. Voicing your concerns assists us with giving you the best care.
 
Thank you for your time learning about communicating with your surgical team. I wish you all the best with your upcoming surgery and recovery. We really will take the very best care of you during your whole surgical journey.