Beyond the Hospital

Funded by:

Wellcome Trust International Engagement Award

Principal Investigators:

“Beyond the Hospital” (BTH) aimed at helping patients continue their recovery in the community by providing materials and training on coping skills to patients and their caregivers, while also building capacity for healthcare workers.

OUCRU and the Hospital for Tropical Diseases (HTD) have led in the field of clinical trials for the treatment of central nervous system infections, such as bacterial meningitis, TB meningitis, and cryptococcal meningitis. These diseases have significant mortality rates associated with them, and the research focus has been on ‘saving lives’ through affordable and relevant treatments. However, as more lives are saved, and more people live with a disability, there is a need to understand how this impacts patients’ and caregivers’ lives, so they can be adequately prepared for discharge. ‘Continuity of care’ and early rehabilitation are key factors.

The BTH project started with the hypothesis that patients need more information pre-discharge to help them continue their recovery in the community. Through the project, we identified information needs, developed information resources, and initiated new avenues for collaboration and information sharing. Using our qualitative research findings as an evidence base, we undertook a number of participatory activities including theatre, photography, and workshop activities to raise awareness about challenges faced by patients and caregivers and to provide technical skills (physiotherapy, empathy, communication) to healthcare workers and coping skills to patients and caregivers.  We also developed training films to be shown on DVDs and the internet, as well as visual-based patient education material to share coping strategies, disease knowledge, and mental health advice, as well as a directory of services for patients disabled by a brain infection.

Key Milestones / Activities

Materials

1. A patient’s story [link EN –  link VN]

The “patient story” is illustrated with images to help relatives understand that they can play a significant role in recovering the patient’s health.

2. How to respond to emotional changes after infection in the brain [link EN –  link VN]

This handbook explains how a brain infection can affect a patient’s emotional state. Its goal is to support patients and their caregivers on their physical and mental journey to recovery.

3. Directory of organizations supporting the disabled in Southern Viet Nam [link VN]

This handbook offers information on social resources available,  and a directory of support agencies for the disabled after hospital discharge in Southern Viet Nam.

4. Directory of physiotherapy centers for the disabled in Southern Viet Nam [link VN]

This handbook includes information about physiotherapy centres offering services to the disabled in Southern Viet Nam.

Documentary films

Patients’ Recovering Stories

In this playlist, we introduced an animation created by OUCRU to motivate patients and their relatives in their recovery process after a disease as well as in-depth videos about how different patients recovered from their brain infections. We hope that their stories would inspire patients to continue on their recovery journeys after discharge.

TÌM HIỂU THÊM

Liên quan

HTD-updated logo

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