The Care Companion programme aims to empower the caregivers of high risk patients with the skills they need to take better care of their loved ones back at home. On admission to the hospital – the patient’s main caregiver is identified and offered the chance to enrol in the program. While the patient goes through the pre-operative stages and surgery, the caregiver undergoes classroom training sessions via interactive videos. This is then followed up by hands-on, in-person training in the post-operative ward when the patient is in recovery. The caregiver is then certified, followed by an exam and supervised by nurse educators on the ward until the patient is discharged.
The program is now functional in two hospitals – Mysore and Bangalore, with plans to roll it out across the group. The team says that 100% of trainees report the program as ‘very useful’, that they integrate very well into the day-to-day running of the hospital and are resulting in a repositioning of family members as an integral part of patient care.