Medstrom Select Case Studies: Fifty Unique Patient Journeys

Case studies are a powerful way to capture the highs, lows and challenges that patients face when recovering from illness and then managing at home.

Working closely with our customers, we’ve captured the journeys of 50 people in anonymised case studies. We focussed on plus-size patients because there are often particular challenges they face in hospital, on discharge and at home.

Just a few of the stories are highlighted below. Click here to look through the full list.

Miranda

Admitted to acute care for treatment of cellulitis, Miranda had been bedbound at home for several weeks beforehand. There was a real danger that she could lose her ability to mobilise long-term.

The original bed she was using was too high for her to mobilise from. But a prompt swap-out to a different bed, with a package of other equipment that facilitated mobilisation, allowed her to start weight-bearing and walking again in just a few days.

Irene

Irene was admitted to ICU with severe COVID-19 infection and mechanically ventilated for two weeks.

Following successful weaning off the ventilator and step-down to a ward, she was initially nursed on a standard width bed. However she found it difficult to move as the bed was too narrow.

A package of bariatric equipment including a bed, turning mattress and riser-recliner reduced the number of staff required to turn Irene in bed from six to two, and allowed her to start weight bearing and mobilising again.

Andy

Andy’s diabetic leg ulcers required weekly dressings from specialist nurses.

A nurse had to travel to Andy’s home every week because there wasn’t a couch big enough to safely accommodate him at the clinic, and no room for a bed there.

The introduction of a bariatric tilt-in-space chair into the clinic meant that Andy could start going there again. This helped him psychologically and also freed up nursing time, allowing more patients to be seen.

It’s natural, when trying to meet hospital and healthcare challenges, to focus on targets, costs and practicalities. We get caught up trying to make sure ‘A’ happens, so that ‘B’ and then ‘C’ can happen.

This is necessary to make sure that a very stretched system functions effectively. But we all know there are people, all needing our help, who are the reason behind every task we complete. They have very different lives, needs and wishes, and their stories are compelling and unique.