Tips For Navigating Healthcare After Trauma | Trauma Informed Care | Nurse Liz Health Class

Great video! ❤️

I have so much I want to say and will DEFINITELY have this have this conversation with anyone interested in such as a very experienced patient myself and as a career medical system navigator and advocate in Canada….

Informed consent forms are marketing. They are liability waivers with a more palatable name for the ones signing it.

Explicit consent is actually what you are referring to at beginning and I agree completely! Explicitly consent means the person is explained the procedure in accessible language exactly what, why, and how the procedure is for and done and intended outcomes. Then what the patient will experience is key. What they can expect to experience especially. Not in terms of during recovery or afterwards but before and during the procedure itself. Pain expectation should be known for the patient. What the room may be like and what preparing for the procedure will look like for them and the patient is ready for what May or will come.

Then you go on to break down the steps one by one and ask the patient what they want. If it’s a pelvic exam for example they want you to just go fast and do it and get it done? Narrate or no? Mirror? Do they want someone to hold their hand or a support person in the room? And if they choose full explicit consent that looks like all I just said and then the following…

After step by step what to expect is done, use those same words and steps to say what you’re going to do next and wait for clear affirmative consent and then proceed. Pause and do thé same for the next step and do the entire exam that way.

Now we replicate that for all patient care from vitals to relexes to an ingrown toenail. Labs too. Like any time you make a hole, access an existing hole, any kind of touch, or looking at tonsils or swabs or legit everything. Just make it your default!

Also why does Child Life not have a direct equivalent outside of paediatrics?! Rhetorical and genuine at the same time. This is a lot of what I do because 10 or 100 – you don’t know that the IV is a straw and the needle comes out almost immediately unless someone tells you. And no one tells you if you don’t ask and you’re 18+. What to expect going into an OR for a surgery? Just put yourself in that headspace for a moment and thinking about it but they didn’t tell you, so you guess that means you should know and will look ridiculous asking how that works as an adult. Or your rights as a patient. What to expect when admitted. What is the call light really for. What is normal and what is not and how does everything work like food and meds and clothes and more. If you don’t have experience or resources you’re way to anxious and embarrassed to ask anyone….

“Darn I gotta go find my Berenstain Bears book about getting surgery. I hope my parents kept it in the garage for me. Should grab the one for needles and dentists too just in case…”

If you don’t know what is going on, you feel embarrassment about asking, you go to Google and scare the living daylights out of yourself, go in clueless, or check out those kids books. And no social workers, therapeutic rec, OT, nurse educators and such are absolutely not the same as Child life. All those people exist in peds care too. But in Canada Child Life is it’s own post graduate program and certification. It’s absolutely amazing and there no equivalent or close in adult care.

I could continue here and go on tangents forever about medical care and consent and understanding and liability and so much more but if I don’t cut myself off this rabbit hole will become a worm hole of epic proportions. ADHD meds wore off long before now (3am) but I’m passionate about this. Like EXTREMELY SO.

I will talk about this stuff forever and I’m very honest about willing to answer questions or have conversations and I’m an open book for sure and happy to answer questions or have alternative thoughts and healthy discussion and debate with counter points and alternative opinions or anything at all! Anything I can do empower others or support others to do the same…I’m here for it! 😊🤟🏻