Need Surgery? Then You Need Post Surgery Instructions, Too

A few years ago, my dad had eye surgery -- just a standard, every day, cataract surgery that should have been a walk in the park.

Hours after the surgery, he began to get violently ill. Eventually he was transported to the hospital and it was determined that a post-operative problem had destroyed the vision in his eye.

It turns out that it's not at all unusual for the problems he had to crop up after cataract surgery. In fact, the doctor was quite upset with him because he hadn't followed the instructions she had given Dad when he left the surgery center. She was nasty and condescending.

One problem.... Instructions? What instructions? No one had given him any guidance whatsoever, much less written instructions. When he told the doctor that no one had given him any instructions, the doctor simply dismissed him, as if she hadn't heard him.

In the healthcare world we live in, where every medical professional is in a hurry because reimbursements are so low, this problem cannot be unique. We can't know how many people weren't given post-operative instructions because most of the time they don't know they should have been given something they weren't given.

Which brings us to today's post -- post surgical instructions. Jennifer Heisler, our About.com guide to surgery, has put together some basic guidelines for anyone who has had surgery. Further, she has developed post-surgical incision-care instructions, too, for those of you who may have an open wound. These incision instructions are more important than ever to be sure you prevent possible infections.

Smart patients know there may be missing instructions, missing guidance, and other missing information that they need to either ask for, or find other resources for. Thanks to June, we have those surgical guidelines.

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