Our Journey with Heart Surgery 2.1

The Emily Center at Phoenix Children’s Hospital introduces Our Journey™ with Heart Surgery, a resource to assist families with children requiring heart surgery in understanding the essential information before discharging their child from the hospital. Some aspects of this application can also be useful during clinic or emergency room visits.

Within a hospital setting, parents can often feel overwhelmed by medical professionals speaking in complex medical terms. Despite the efforts of healthcare providers, there may be instances where communication is not entirely clear, and verifying comprehension might be necessary. Paraphrasing the information received allows you to ensure your understanding.

The Our Journey™ with Heart Surgery app is tailored to:

• Facilitate communication between families and the healthcare team from admission to hospital discharge.
• Assist parents in recognizing the information required before returning home.
• Provide a platform for parents to acknowledge what they are unsure about or do not comprehend and to ask questions.
• Prompt families on what information they need to convey back to their nurse or doctor or demonstrate. This enables the healthcare provider to confirm understanding, competencies, and rectify any misconceptions.
• Instill confidence in families that they can adeptly care for their child post-hospital discharge, identify potential issues, and respond effectively.

About The Emily Center at Phoenix Children’s Hospital:

Established in 1990, The Emily Center is named after Emily Anderson, a young fighter who battled a rare form of leukemia for four years before succumbing a few days shy of her seventh birthday. Frustrated by the scarcity of user-friendly resources related to Emily’s condition, her parents established The Emily Center to ensure that families with ill children always have access to precise pediatric health information that is easily comprehensible and provided free of cost to Arizona residents. More info can be found at www.emilycenter.org and on Twitter @emilycenter.

The development of the Our Journey™ with Heart Surgery mobile app has been supported by a grant from Cox.