The View from the VA

As Chief of Learning Resources Service for the VA, I am also responsible for insuring the provision of adequate resources for Patient Education. These include both print and electronic resources. If you are a resident or a medical student on rotation to the VA you should be aware that these resources are available to you to assist in educating the patient about his medical condition.

I'm sure that many of you have heard of Micromedex and use it for drug information to assist you in your prescribing. I'm not sure, though, if you realize that this electronic database also contains a very useful collection of patient education material written at the 6th grade level. This material is called CareNotes.

There are two ways to get to Micromedex. One way is to click on Tools in CPRS (the VA's electronic medical record). This will drop down a menu which includes Micromedex. This is convenient for the clinician who is already into CPRS. The other way is to go to the Learning Resources website (http://vaww.learnres.little-rock.med.va.gov) and click on Micromedex.

Either way will connect you to the home screen for Micromedex. From there, you can click on The CareNotes System and it will take you to a search screen where you can either type in a keyword or browse by categories.

Each topic in CareNotes generally allows you to view and/or print topics by Inpatient Care, General Information, or Discharge Care in either English or Spanish. The Chief of Staff encourages all caregivers to utilize this valuable resource for patient education. When you do use this or other resources to educate the patient, don't forget to properly document it in CPRS!

Another valuable resource on the Little Rock campus is a video on demand system called TiltRac. Patient Education videos are loaded into basically a video "jukebox" and can be requested or scheduled by phone or by computer. This can be done by the patient through his phone or by the caregiver through the Learning Resources website. A printed subject guide has also been prepared and distributed to each patient's room in Little Rock promoting this resource. Please be aware of this video resource so that you can assist the patient in learning more about his condition.

Print materials on many topics are also available for distribution to the patient or his family. All printed materials are reviewed for accuracy and readability by the Patient Education Committee. To find what is available, you may contact Kathy Denison, Patient Education Coordinator at 257-5621.

Finally, for those patients and or family members who are ambulatory, there is a computer for patient access in the Libraries at both Little Rock and North Little Rock. The librarians in each location are more than willing to assist veterans in navigating the web.

George M. Zumwalt,
Chief, Learning Resources Service