Physician-Patient Communication

 

Effective physician-patient communication is the key to educating patients with pharmacoresistant epilepsy about VNS Therapy™. Consider using the educational resources available through Cyberonics to supplement your patient education efforts. The AVENUES program, the Cyberonics Case Manager, and other patient education tools can be ordered through this web site or provided by your Cyberonics VNS Therapeutic Consultant. Several recommendations and discussion topics are suggested below.

Suggestions for communicating with patients about VNS Therapy:

  • Discuss and agree upon treatment goals during the initial consultation.
  • Present pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic treatment options, and discuss the potential risks, benefits, quality-of-life outcomes associated with each option.
  • Consider using a patient diary, which includes quality-of-life and seizure information, as a tool to facilitate communication.
  • Discuss compliance issues with patients.
  • Identify any special issues for individual patients, such as comorbidities, level of independence, and other concerns
 
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