Two new publications from AANS will help neurosurgeons educate their patients, increase referrals and reduce the risk of malpractice claims. A Patient’s Guide to Neurosurgery, scheduled to be available this month, is a patient brochure that summarizes in lay language the many conditions treated by neurosurgeons. The AANS Guide to Informed Consent explains how to develop an informed consent program and includes software to set up the program. It will be available sometime this winter.
A Patient’s Guide to Neurosurgery
A Patient’s Guide to Neurosurgery is in response to requests by AANS members for materials to build their practice. Other brochures on specific conditions such as low back pain also will be forthcoming.
The new brochure emphasizes that neurosurgeons do more than brain surgery. It also explains the extensive education and training completed by neurosurgeons.
Designed to be distributed to patients, the brochure can be mailed or handed out at health fairs, career days and lectures before community groups. It also can be sent by physicians or other health care professionals who refer patients to neurosurgeons. There is ample room on the brochure to add a label with personal practice information.
The brochure addresses:
- The Brain and Beyond: An overview of the scope of what neurosurgeons do.
- The Making of a Neurosurgeon and Becoming Board Certified: The requirements to become a board-certified neurosurgeon.
- When Can a Neurosurgeon Help: An outline of some of the specific disorders of the brain, spine and nerves treated by neurosurgeons including aneurysms, carpal tunnel syndrome, epilepsy, low back pain, Parkinson’s disease and more.
- Neurosurgery-Yesterday and Today: A brief history of neurosurgery and the evolvement of the AANS.
- Investing in the Future of Neurosurgery: A description of the Neurosurgery Research and Education Foundation.
- Breaking New Ground: Advances in the field of neurosurgery.
The price for a pack of 50 brochures is $50 for AANS members and $60 for non-members.
AANS Guide to Informed Consent
The AANS Guide to Informed Consent should reduce the risk of malpractice claims by assisting neurosurgeons in communicating and documenting the risks, benefits and alternatives to medical procedures.
The binder includes two sections. Part I is a guide to developing an informed consent program. Included is information on what informed consent is, how to develop an informed consent program, how to avoid common causes of malpractice claims, what to include in patient materials about the treatment, what to include in the consent document and how to archive documents.
Part II consists of sample neurosurgical documents. The documents cover diagnosis, nature/purpose of treatment, risks/ complications/side effects of treatment and the risks/complications/side effects of not undergoing treatment, anticipated results and a consent form.
The samples are available on a disk, saved in word processing software that requires no installation or downloading. The cost is $250 for members and $300 for non-members.
To order these publications, call the AANS at (888) 566-AANS.