Caregivers need support. We can help.
Caring for a child before and after heart surgery can be daunting. We developed PEDI (Parent Education Discharge/Instructions), a series of training modules and resources, to educate caregivers and families on pre- and postoperative care for children undergoing heart surgery.
To bring this project to life, we worked with a diverse group of stakeholders, including nurses, physicians and parents of children with heart disease.
Used by our hospital partners worldwide, this simple educational tool has broad reach.
partner hospitals across 6 countries
children and families reached every year
The need: improving pediatric patient care
Hospitals in the developed world encourage parents to maintain close contact and to be intimately involved in the care of their critically ill child, especially during the days immediately after their child leaves the hospital.
Varying cultural norms, clinical practices, workloads on the health care team and educational backgrounds of parents often present challenges and barriers.
That’s where PEDI can help.
The discharge instructions we developed with our medical volunteers cover medication, wound care, physical activity, diet and other topics critical to a successful recovery from heart surgery. Delivering postoperative patient education through individualized content that is presented in a variety of ways during multiple sessions results in improved patient outcomes.
Published studies have shown nurses have a significant increase in knowledge after completing the PEDI program, and infections at the patient’s surgical site decrease dramatically after nurses complete the program.
Downloadable PEDI Materials*
Available in multiple languages, find downloadable guides designed for parents and caregivers. These patient education and discharge instructions, along with a web-based training module, train nurses in educating parents and caregivers.
*PEDI is open source and accessible to anyone interested in using it. If you wish to adapt it to your setting or to translate it, please inform Children’s HeartLink and credit Children’s HeartLink to honor the many hours our volunteers have put into developing these resources.