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PHS videos ease transition from hospital to home

PHS videos ease transition from hospital to home

ROSEVILLE Minn. - Bringing a sick child home from the hospital can be a difficult transition, but Pediatric Home Service (PHS) wants to make it easier.

“Once they come home it's a very, very different environment than what they are used to in the hospital,” said Lisa Jenson, director of customer service.

To that end, PHS is creating videos to introduce families to the company and home care, and let them know what to expect.

“Some of the things that happen in the hospital are transferrable to home care, but some of them are not,” said Rebecca Long, director of therapies. “There are different rules and regulations and standards. Families that are learning all of this the first time tend to become attached to how things were done in the hospital and then anything else might feel wrong or like it's not giving the child the best care.”

The first video is posted on YouTube. The six-minute spot features a mom, Jill, describing her experience of bringing her now 17-year-old daughter home for the first time and selecting a homecare company. She details how PHS helped her prepare her home and learn about the equipment her daughter needed.

“I cried all the way home the first time I brought her home,” says Jill in the video. “I was scared to death.”

That sense of fear and being overwhelmed is very common, says Jenson.

“They no longer have all the doctors and nurses and supplies,” said Jenson. “They have to make sure they have a safe care plan in the home, or if something goes wrong with the equipment, they need to know how to respond to that.”

Having the videos available at any time to go back and watch, or share with other family members who may be involved in caring for the patient, is helpful, says PHS.

“When you are leaving the hospital you get so much information overload,” said Cathleen Urbain, patient advocate. “It's handy to have these to go back to.”

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