Depending on the type and place of cancer treatment, the mouth can be affected. This pamphlet details who is at risk for mouth problems, the symptoms, when to see your dentist and how to keep your mouth healthy. Includes care for dentures and information on foods to try and which to avoid.
After cardiac surgery, there are lots of things you can do to speed up your recovery such as: being as fit as possible before your surgery, lowering the stress of surgery on your body, and getting up and moving soon after your surgery. This pamphlet explains how to do these things. Topics include: eating well, staying active, doing your exercises, practicing post-surgery restrictions, getting ready for surgery, steps to help your recovery while in hospital, and what to expect after you leave th…
This pamphlet reviews important instructions about how to get ready for your procedure and what to do on the day of your procedure. If you do not follow these instructions, your procedure may be cancelled. Info on how to keep your bowels regular are also included.
Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA) is committed to creating and supporting a work environment that is safe and respectful for all of our staff, patients, and families. To help us meet this commitment, all patients who come to an NSHA Emergency Department for treatment are screened for the potential (possibility) of violence and aggression. If you are identified as showing a potential for violence or aggression, or have demonstrated violence or aggression, we add a note to your health record to…
Gastroparesis means stomach paralysis. This means the stomach is slow to empty. The guidelines in this pamphlet may help you to lower your symptoms and keep up good nutrition. A list of suggested food choices and foods to avoid is provided.
La Pochette verte de la Nouvelle-Écosse est un endroit central où garder des documents importants en vue de partager avec les fournisseurs de soins de santé vos plans de soins, vos objectifs et vos souhaits en matière de soins. Toute personne atteinte d’une maladie limitant l’espérance de vie devrait avoir une Pochette verte. La présente brochure indique ce que vous devriez garder dans votre Pochette verte et ce que vous devriez en faire. Vous y trouverez aussi des ressources pour obtenir plus …
This pamphlet explains what tips on how to keep your urinary tract healthy. Signs that need the attention of your primary health care provider are listed.
During Whipple surgery, parts of the stomach, small bowel, gallbladder, and pancreas are removed. These organs are important for digesting food. After surgery you may need to make some changes to your eating habits. Following the tips in this guide can help you get the nutrition you need to heal, feel comfortable during the first 4 weeks (1 month) after surgery, and keep or gain weight after surgery. Foods that are best tolerated and foods to avoid are listed. Other topics include whether you w…
Antioxidants are nutrients found in some foods and also in supplements such as pills. Antioxidants help your body protect and repair your cells from damage to keep them working normally. The goal of radiation therapy is to damage your cancer cells. Taking antioxidants may prevent your radiation treatment from working as well as it should because it may prevent some of the damage we are trying to cause to your cancer cells. This pamphlet explains whether you should take antioxidants during radia…
People expect safe health care. Health care providers work hard every day to give safe, excellent care. Despite our best efforts to keep you safe, there are risks to being in the hospital. For example, a patient may fall, or get an infection or a pressure injury (bedsore), or be given the wrong dose of medication. These events are called patient safety incidents. This pamphlet explains what patient safety incidents are, what to do if you notice a patient safety incident, how patient safety inci…
5-aminosalicylate (5-ASA) is a medication often used to treat inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It helps to controll active ulcerative colitis, or Crohn’s colitis and keep mild to moderate ulcerative colitis in remission (period of recovery). Topics include: what does 5-ASA do, which 5-ASA you should take, how to take 5-ASA, what other medications you can take, and how 5-ASA will help. The pamphlet also describes side effects and how long you will need to take 5-ASA.
Les gens s'attendent à recevoir des soins de santé en toute sécurité. Tous les jours, les prestataires de soins de santé travaillent fort pour offrir d'excellents soins de santé, en toute sécurité. Malgré tous nos efforts pour assurer votre sécurité, être à l'hôpital comporte des risques. Les patients peuvent, par exemple, faire une chute, contracter une infection, développer une plaie de pression (plaie de lit) ou recevoir la mauvaise dose d'un médicament. Ces événements sont appelés incidents…
Health care providers work hard to prevent the spread of germs from one person to another. This is important because some germs can cause infections. Routine practices are the minimum (least) steps taken to prevent and control infections while caring for all patients at all times. Additional precautions (such as contact, droplet or airborne precautions) are sometimes needed to keep germs from spreading from one patient to another. This pamphlet explains the infection prevention and control (IPA…
Les fournisseurs de soins de santé travaillent fort pour prévenir la propagation des microbes d’une personne à l’autre. Cela est important parce que certains microbes peuvent causer des infections. Les « pratiques de base » sont les mesures minimales prises en tout temps pour prévenir et contrôler les infections dans la prestation des soins aux patients. Des « précautions supplémentaires » (comme les précautions contre la transmission par contact, par gouttelettes ou par voie aérienne) sont par…
This pamphlet explains the steps to hand express breast milk. Hand expression is a learned skill. It will get easier with practice. A video is listed to help you with the basics. Instructions for how to bring your breast milk to the hospital are given. If you notice any cramping in your uterus when hand expressing, it is very important to stop and talk with your doctor before starting again. This is rare. It is safe to keep breastfeeding your older child.
Advance care planning, or personal care planning, is the process of reflecting on what is important to you, to help you plan for your future medical and personal care. This pamphlet gives information about advance care planning, personal directives (PDs), delegates, what will happen if you do not have a PD, where to keep your completed PD and who should have a copy of it, when you should update your PD, and some treatments you should consider when making a PD. Information about Medical Assistan…
This pamphlet gives information about soother use. Topics include how soothers can interfere with breastfeeding, risks, tips before offering a soother, things to keep in mind if you decide to use one, and care instructions. Contact information for more support is also included.
This pamphlet explains what to expect if you are going home with a urinary catheter inserted. It explains what to do if your surgeon has told you to remove the catheter at home, how to keep the area clean, care instructions, nutrition and fluids, and important things to remember. A list of symptoms that need attention from your urologist or primary health care provider is listed.
You are being treated with a cancer treatment that is cytotoxic. This means it can kill cancer cells and can harm healthy cells. This booklet describes what you, your family, friends and caregivers need to know about cytotoxic precautions. These precautions are used to keep your family members, friends and caregivers safe while you are taking your cancer treatment. This pamphlet explains what cytotoxic precautions are, what body fluids are cytotoxic, how to handle your body wastes, what to do …
La planification préalable des soins est un processus de réflexion sur ce qui est important pour vous afin de vous aider à planifier vos futurs soins médicaux et personnels. Ce dépliant fournit de l'information sur la planification préalable des soins, les directives personnelles (DP), les mandataires, la préparation d’une DP, ce qu'il faut faire avec la DP une fois qu'elle est terminée, quand la mettre à jour, l'information et les outils disponibles, et les traitements à prendre en considérati…