Families are vital link to patient education

Two hospitals find easy steps to patient learning

Nurses at the Mayo Foundation Hospitals in Rochester, MN, have a daunting task in providing patient education to their charges. With eight ICUs to worry about and some 1,900 acute-care beds divided between two separate facilities, the task has gone beyond focusing solely on the patients.

"Early in the process [which began in 1996], we recognized a group that had a great deal of learning need," says Laurie Vlasak, RN, a patient education specialist at Mayo. "For many families, this was their first experience with critical care, and they were completely in the dark about it."