Why I teach patients and why education has such a great impact on outcomes: the more prepared you are, by managing your mindset, the better your result. Don't let your Pain define you!
It hurts, thus the words I feel your Pain! Accept it and Move On! Whether it’s surgery, divorce, heartbreak,finance, etc. the acceptance that things are painful actually makes it “hurt” less: set the expectation that it’s something you will have to face…If patients expect a certain level of pain and recover after surgery with a nominal amount compared to their expectations, they are more pleased and confident with the results. If the pain is exactly as imagined, then they are resolved to have met expectations. Worst case scenario: believing it will be painless and experiencing the aftermath in agony.
We’ve become a very “sheltered” society. People need to be informed, educated, and prepared. Our realistic expectations and comprehensive approach has increased our pain satisfaction percentage to 90%. That’s huge after joint replacement. Apply that to many aspects of life, and imagine the satisfaction scores?
Meredith is the Total Joint Program Coordinator at a leading Northern Virginia Hospital. She has 9+ years of experience as a registered nurse in Orthopedics, Surgery, and Transplant Coordination. Originally from Texas, Meredith obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing from Texas Tech University before moving to Northern Virginia in 2012.
In her most recent role Meredith has taught over 70 classes to patients and their family members to prepare them for surgery, led a successful site survey for National Certification for the Hip and Knee Program, and worked with practitioners and executive leadership to improve outcomes in 4/5 processes within her 1st year.
Through her work in this field she has gained a unique insight into human behavior, specifically how expectations versus reality often collide, and has developed a “no-nonsense” approach to pain management through establishing “realistic expectations”.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at [ Ссылка ]
