Hospitalisation preparation nurse at La Casamance

Alexia, what does it mean to be a hospital preparation nurse?

We meet patients and their families after their pre-admission and anaesthetic consultation, i.e. several days

before their hospitalisation.

We are there to answer their questions, put their minds at rest and check with them that everything has been thought of to ensure that their stay at La Casamance goes as smoothly as possible. This may be administrative (CPAM entitlements), hotel-related (private room, accompanying bed, etc.), care-related (making an appointment with a cardiologist, for example) or related to their medication.

We also review with them the concepts of the trusted support person, advance directives, transfusions, etc. This consultation is an opportunity to take the time to explain what is going on, so that patients feel confident and can express themselves freely.

We also discuss the patient's post-operative wishes for discharge: return home, follow-up and rehabilitation care, etc. to anticipate these and avoid wasting time later on due to a lack of places.

"In fact, what we want is for patients to "live in the moment while they're in hospital" and not be waiting or worrying about what's going to happen "afterwards" because they don't know what's going to happen next.

Which patients do you work with?

At the moment, our consultations are with patients who are going to be admitted to hospital for knee replacement or colectomy.

What are your plans for 2018?

Our aim is to broaden the scope of our work to include other disciplines and in collaboration with other specialists.

Currently, for patients who are going to have a knee replacement, a physiotherapist joins our consultation to explain muscle-strengthening techniques to the patient, adjust his crutches, check his splint, etc.

We also plan to work with a social worker if specific needs are identified.