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How to Respond to Follow-Up Questions From Your Patients

Dr. Schaffer has asked you and your team to respond to several questions from your patients regarding the surgical procedure. She would like you to write a response for each patient and send it to her for review.

The following step-by-step will help guide your work.

1. Review Dr. Schaffer's email. It may be helpful to print the email and highlight the important points.


2. Read the emails containing the questions from your patients.


3. Prepare to respond to the patients’ follow-up questions. You may need to research information on the surgical procedure and related issues. Review the materials listed on the Resources page for additional guidance.


1. Three resources you may find particularly helpful are the Surgical Procedure FAQ, Potential Surgical Complications FAQ and the Post-Operative FAQ.


2. Watch the expert videos and the video clips related to liver transplants.


3. In order to answer Mr. McGrath’s questions about his symptoms you may need to go back through your earlier notes. As you do, look for what caused his jaundice and ascites. Then think about how those causes be corrected with a new liver.


4. Prepare responses to Mr. McGrath’s and Mr. Murphy’s questions. Write a short answer response to each of Mr. McGrath’s questions. In a separate document, then write answers to each of Mr. Murphy’s questions. Each answer should be at least one well-constructed paragraph. It should answer the patient’s questions, but also help to alleviate his fears.

For example, a patient may be concerned about the amount of pain he will be in following the surgery. A good response will confirm that he will be in pain, but give him information on how you will help him manage that pain.

5. Review your work.
   1. Did you respond to each of Mr. McGrath’s questions?
   
   
   2. Did you respond to each of Mr. Murphy’s questions?
   
   
6. Submit your work. Review the checklist located on the Submit Your Work section of this task and submit the assignment to your mentor.

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Consider Your Audience

• Don’t assume either of your patients would read a document intended for the other person. Remember you are creating two documents—one for each patient. It’s ok if answers in the two documents are similar.
  
• As you write, keep your audience in mind. Even if some of their questions are similar, Tom (the donor) may need different information from Frank (the recipient).

Write With Empathy

• In Dr. Schaffer’s email she asked you to be empathetic in your responses to the patients. Empathy means that you have the ability to understand and relate to another person’s concerns. When you respond to Tom and Frank, try to image how they are feeling. Be honest about what they are facing, but try to be reassuring and set their fears at ease.

Seeking Informed Consent

• As you prepare your responses, keep the importance of informed consent in mind. Don’t sugar coat your responses in an effort to help your patient’s feel at ease. Be honest with them about potential risks and complications. The best answers will help patients not only understand the risks, but when possible, will also help them understand what doctors will do to minimize those risks.

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FAQs

Surgical Procedure FAQ
This document provides a detailed overview of the transplant procedure.

Potential Surgical Complications FAQ
This document looks at potential complications patients face during and after surgery.

Post-Operative FAQ
This document highlights what happens to both donors and recipients after the surgery is complete.

Surgical Resources

What It Is Like To Have Surgery
This link provides an overview of what to expect when you undergo major surgery.

Anesthesia Overview
Click here for a basic overview of anesthesia and what anesthesiologists do. As you review the link, keep in mind that patients undergoing major surgery are put under general anesthesia.

Live Donor Q&A
Originally presented in Task 5: Review Potential Donors, this link offers great information on the donor’s surgery, potential complications, and post-operative issues for donors.

Videos

Live Donor Liver Transplant
Once this site opens you will need to click on the Liver Transplantation link. (Note: You will need Real Player to view this video. You can download it for free using a link provided on the website.)

This short video shows a live donor liver transplant. The narrator uses very technical language in the video. Don’t worry if you don’t understand everything he is saying. As you watch the video, look for the following:

• The incision
• The way the ribs and abdominal organs are retracted
• The lobes of the donor’s liver being dissected
• The donor’s liver—notice how healthy it looks, specifically its smooth surface.
• The donor’s liver packed in preservation solution for transport to the recipient’s operating room
• The diseased liver of the recipient—notice its size and rough exterior
• The donor liver being placed in the recipient
• The arteries being “hooked up”

Pediatric Liver Transplant - University of Chicago

This video shows a live donor pediatric liver transplant. As you watch the video, look for the following:

• The incision
• The abdominal retractor
• The instruments surgeons use during the procedure.
• The dissection of the liver's major connections.
• The dissection of the substance of the liver.
• The liver being “hooked up” in the recipient.

This video uses some technical language. Click here for a terminology sheet that may help you as you watch the video.

Ask the Expert

Why is live donation so successful in liver transplants?

What are the key points to tell donors about the transplant procedure?

What are the key points to tell recipients about the transplant procedure?

What long-term complications should transplant patients be aware of?

What short-term complications should transplant patients be aware of?

What is the most dangerous part of the surgery?

What are the main stages of the transplant surgery?