Patient Education Booklets

These booklets were created by experienced content experts for the AHRQ Safety Program for Improving Surgical Care and Recovery (ISCR), a collaborative program to enhance the recovery of surgical patients. They help adult patients prepare for and recover from surgery both in the hospital and at home. They are based on the program’s evidence-based enhanced recovery pathway.

Consult the Users Guide to learn more about using the patient education booklets to promote discussion and questions about topics that can be challenging for patients. The booklets also are available in Spanish as indicated below.

• Users Guide to ISCR Patient Education Booklets (DOCX, 948 KB)
  • Preparing for and Recovering After Colorectal Surgery (PDF, 10 MB); In Spanish (PDF, 10.3 MB)
  • Preparing for and Recovering After Hip or Knee Replacement Surgery (PDF, 13 MB); In Spanish (PDF, 8.2 MB)
  • Recovering After Surgery for a Broken Hip (Hip Fracture) (PDF, 9 MB); In Spanish (PDF, 6.8 MB)
  • Preparing for and Recovering After Gynecologic Surgery (PDF, 13.7 MB); In Spanish (PDF, 8 MB)
  • Recovering After Emergency Laparotomy (PDF, 7.2 MB); In Spanish (PDF, 6 MB)
  • Recovering After Emergency Gallbladder Surgery (PDF, 8 MB); In Spanish (PDF, 8.5 MB)
  • Recovering After Emergency Appendectomy (PDF, 6.4 MB); In Spanish (PDF, 5.2 MB)

Patient and Family Caregiver Testing

To ensure that the booklets are easy to understand and that they address common questions and concerns, multiple iterations were reviewed by staff and by a variety of patients and family caregivers of varying demographics and education levels.

Using These Booklets as Part of Your Enhanced Recovery Program

Download them and fill in the designated areas on the last pages of the booklet with your hospital’s specific information. Review the booklets with your surgical teams and plan how the booklets will be distributed and who will conduct patient education.

Note: Only print from the digital file. Avoid making copies of printed materials, as that might affect the color contrast and make them more difficult to read.

Disclaimer

Use of brand, manufacturer, or vendor names is for identification and patient understanding only. It does not imply endorsement by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.