(To view the case of the original post, go to Case 1.)

The last major obstacle that Susan faced after her hospitalization was getting transportation to her doctor visits.  Follow-up care is essential to assure good outcomes, but for some people getting a ride to the doctor can be a problem.  So, put yourself in Susan’s shoes.  If you couldn’t drive yourself, what would you do?  Here are some options:

• Ask a friend or relative.  Most would jump at the chance to be of help.  After all, some day you may be able to return the favor. 
• If you are reluctant to ask someone to help you, you may need to use public transportation.  Depending on where you live that could be quite expensive or cumbersome. 
• If you belong to a house of worship, they may have a ministry to help members of their congregation in these kinds of situations.  Contact them to find out.
• If that isn’t an option you may want to contact the Social Services Department at the hospital from which you were just discharged.  The social workers there are aware of all sorts of programs in the community to help its citizens with a variety of needs, such as transportation. 
• If these options all fail, you should contact your physician to let him know of your problem.  He may know of another way to address your transportation difficulty.

Over the last 2 months I talked about the importance of following your doctor’s discharge plans after you come home from the hospital.  I used Case 1 under Cases To Consider to describe an actual situation that a real person faced after she came home from the hospital.  I named her Susan and outlined the problems she encountered getting the care she was supposed to get along with how I would overcome those obstacles.   I hope you found these to be useful in understanding some of the important components of a hospital discharge and how to work within the healthcare system to stay your healthiest.  I welcome your comments and questions. 

For Your Health – Dr. Bob