Patient Education

Patient support and education should begin as early as possible in order to empower them to care for themselves and improve patient outcomes. Involving patients, carers and family members can help them understand the core principles behind effective lower limb management and be more adherent to the overall long term treatment plan.

As clinicians, we can tend to forget how the patient with leg challenges must feel. Many patients will have feelings of fear and uncertainty, depression, reduced self image and social isolation. Providing ongoing education throughout their journey, while keeping the patient or caregiver involved, will help support them to become a stakeholder and decision maker in their short and long term care.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced a long overdue focus on self and shared care in the treatment and management of the lower limb. Self-care is also a key driver for the NHS and is part of the NHS Long Term Plan encouraging patients and carers to take an active role in managing their health and well being. LLCS offer a range of patient information in a handy guide called ‘My Lower Limb Care’. This can be tailored for individual groups to align with local services and/or industry providers.

For more information, please see the self and shared care section…

Educational documents such as ‘My Lower Limb Care’ puts the patient at the heart of available services and support. You can’t embrace what you don’t understand and managing a medical condition can be challenging if the fundamental elements are not understood. Alongside how the lower limb works, how it breaks and how we fix it, this document also includes information on the wider healthcare team, available treatment options and diary inputs such as goals, challenges and a pain diary. This easy to understand document can be a useful reference and communication tool for the patient, their carers/family, alongside the multidisciplinary team who may become involved in their journey.