Patient Information Leaflets - P
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The information leaflets on this internet site are intended to advise and benefit patients who intend to use, or are using, the clinical services provided by Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
The Trust does not accept responsibility for using the information contained in the leaflets for any other purpose than that described within them.
If you are concerned about your clinical condition you should seek qualified medical advice from your GP or the relevant clinical team at the hospital.
- Paediatric Diabetes Team
Title - Adjusting Insulin Doses Based on Blood Glucose Tests When on 2 Injections a Day
Description - Looking after diabetes is all about making sensible changes to diet, insulin and exercise to enable your child to live a healthy, active and normal life. You need to be able to change your child’s insulin dose to keep good control of their diabetes.Title - Advice for young people with type 1 diabetes in the workplace and university
Description - Moving away and starting university is an exciting chapter, but it can also bring some nervous feelings. Living with type 1 diabetes means there are a few extra things to think about if moving away to university.Title - Carbohydrate counting
Description - Being able to carbohydrate count means you can work out the carbohydrate content of all the meals and snacks you eat. We will show you how to work out the carbohydrate content of your meals and snacks by reading food labels, weighing foods and by using books and apps.Title - Glycaemic Index
Description - The Glycaemic Index (GI) is a guide as to how quickly or slowly carbohydrate foods affect blood glucose levels. All carbohydrate foods are broken down to produce glucose but different foods are broken down at different rates and are given a number in comparison to pure glucose which has a GI of 100.Title - Introduction to recipe calculation and Type 1 Diabetes
Description - Carbohydrate counting recipes can take a few more steps compared to counting individual foods. This is particularly relevant for home cooked meals and baking. This leaflet will guide you through the basic principles of recipe calculation.Title - Moving from the children's to the adult diabetes service
Description - As you have now reached adolescence it is time to consider how your diabetes care will change when you move from childrens’ to adult services. This information leaflet should alleviate some of the anxieties you may have, and give you a better understanding of what changes to expect.Title - Returning to Insulin Injections from Pump Therapy (temporarily)
Description - What to do when your child’s pump is not working properly and they need to return to injections temporarily : Keep a written record of your child’s pump basal rate for each hour and bolus ratios in case the pump fails and you need to go back to injections.Title - Sharps Disposal
Description - A sharps bin is required for disposal of needles from insulin pen devices and from cannula insertion, lancets from finger-pricking devices and glass insulin cartridges and vials. These items must be disposed of as clinical waste under the Controlled Waste Regulations,1992. - Paediatric Emergency Department
Title - Backslab
Description - Your backslab will take 36 hours to dry properly.Title - Catching a Urine Sample
Description - You have been asked for a urine sample from your child. This test may have been ordered as routine, upon hospital admission, and/or if the doctor that reviewed you is checking for something specific. However, handling the urine specimen is very important. Urine that is stored too long or stored improperly before testing is not considered viable. You need to ensure that you are storing the sample correctly.Title - Constipation in Infants & Children
Description - When your child is constipated you may find he/she has difficulty in passing hard bowel motions less frequently then he/she normally does. A child who has difficulty or discomfort when attempting to evacuate the bowels can try to prevent bowel emptying, thus beginning a vicious cycle.Title - Febrile Convulsions
Description - Doctors use the term febrile to define a body temperature of 38 degrees C or above. Febrile convulsions are common in children between the ages of six months and six years. They are generally tonic-clonic seizures/fits, but may, less commonly, be partial seizures. They are usually linked to a childhood illness such as tonsillitis, or teething, which cause a rise in temperature.Title - Pain Relief
Description - If your child is in pain or has a fever, we recommend that you give them medicines such as Paracetamol (Calpol or Disprol) or Ibuprofen (Calprofen and Nurofen). These are available from chemists. Do not give both together – use one or the other. Check results and if no improvement, give the other.Title - Pulled Elbow
Description - Our examination has revealed that your child has a “pulled elbow”.Title - Renal Colic
Description - The doctor who has seen you has made a provisional diagnosis of renal colic.Title - Steristrips
Description - Instead of stitches we have used special strips of sticky paper called steristrips, or sometimes butterfly stitches, to close your child’s wound. They will help the wound heal quickly with only a small scar. They will usually fall off by themselves, or the doctor or nurse may tell you to take them off when your child’s wound has healed. To do this, you can wet the strips and gently peel or roll off. - Paediatrics
Title - Advice Following Adenoidectomy and Grommets
Description - Advice Following Adenoidectomy and GrommetsTitle - Advice Following General Anaesthetic
Description - Advice Following General AnaestheticTitle - Advice Following Grommets
Description - Advice Following GrommetsTitle - Advice Following Nose Operations
Description - Advice Following Nose OperationsTitle - Attendance at Hospital for a Child with an Unexplained or Concerning Injury
Description - This leaflet is to explain the process to be followed if your child attends Southport and Ormskirk Hospital with an injury that is unexplained, or if there are possible safeguarding concerns in relation to that injury.Title - Children coming into hospital for an operation
Description - You and your child will have been seen in an out patient clinic by a doctor or a surgeon who has arranged for your child to have an operation or procedure. This leaflet explains what to expect when your child comes into Whiston Hospital to have a test or operation under general anaesthetic.Title - Chronic constipation
Description - Normal bowel habits can vary considerably in frequency amongst people. A child with bowel movements less than 3 times per week, is probably constipated. However, pain and/or excessive straining with discomfort during bowel movements are abnormal and are suggestive of constipation.Title - Coeliac Disease
Description - Coeliac disease is a condition where your immune system attacks your own tissues when you eat gluten. This damages your gut (small intestine) so your body cannot properly take in nutrients. Coeliac disease can cause a range of symptoms, including diarrhoea, abdominal pain and bloating.Title - Consent to Treatment & Examination
Description - In order that the hospital can treat any patient, we have the consent of either the patient, if he or she is 16 or over, or a person who has parental responsibility (Children Act 1989) for the child. The following information has been compiled to prevent any misunderstanding as to who can legally give consent to treatment and examination for a child.Title - Croup
Description - Croup is a common childhood respiratory illness seen in young children it is a mild disease, Although it can be very worrying for parents and distressing for the child. It is common between 1-3 years of age, it becomes uncommon above 6 years of age. Croup causes a narrowing of the windpipe and reduces the amount of air to the lungs, meaning the child will find it harder to breathe. Croup is usually a sudden onset. Your child may develop a harsh, ‘bark’ or ‘seal-like’ cough and hoarseness, caused by inflammation of the lining of the larynx (voice box) resulting in narrowing of the breathing tube. There may also be a lot of thick mucous. The narrowing of the tube may cause noisy breathing (stridor). Breathing may become difficult if the narrowing becomes worse. Before the cough develops your child may have a sore throat, temperature, red eyes and a runny nose.Title - Day case dental patients what to expect (Paediatrics)
Description - You will be asked to arrive at hospital for 7.30am and you will be given an allocated bed space on the ward. Usually there are 3 dental patients, sometimes 4. You should expect to be at hospital until late morning, maybe lunchtime.Title - Febrile convulsion (fit)
Description - A febrile convulsion (fit) is a common medical condition in young children and in most cases is triggered by a rapidly rising temperature. It affects children between the ages of six months and six years. For the vast majority of children with simple febrile convulsion, the outcome is excellent. Although they appear like epileptic fits they rarely have anything in common with epilepsy.Title - Giving your Child Medication/s
Description - Giving your child medicines. Every child will need to take medicines at some point during childhood but we know from talking to parents that this can be a worrying time. This information leaflet will explain the best way to help you give your child their medicines safely.Title - Growth Hormone Stimulation Test Clonidine / Arginine
Description - Growth hormone is essential for normal growth and is made by the pituitary gland (located at the base of the brain). It is then released into the blood stream and it travels to the body’s tissues helping with growth and development.Title - Guide to asthma inhalers and spacers
Description - A positive attitude is encouraged at all times when using inhalers and spacers with children. Initiating play tactics whenever possible will encourage the child to tolerate the mask on their face gently. Hold the mask in place for a slow count to ten after each actuation (puff) of the inhaler. Parents and nursing staff can sing a nursery rhyme instead of counting if they wish, or get the child to watch a favourite video or look through a picture book. Distraction and praise is the key to success.Title - Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP)
Description - ITP is a blood disorder. With this disease, you have a lower amount of platelets than normal in your blood. Platelets are blood cell fragments that help with blood clotting. Having fewer platelets can cause easy bruising, bleeding gums, and internal bleeding.Title - Long Lines for treatment
Description - Some very sick children have serious medical problems that require very complex management. One of the problems is that babies often require a special line (drip) into one of their veins through which important intravenous (into the vein) medications and fluids can be given because they are too sick to take medicines by mouth.Title - Low dose Synacthen Test and None-Fasting Hormone Test (NFHT)
Description - The Low dose Synacthen Test is used for the diagnosis of reduced adrenal gland function. The principle of the test is to stimulate the adrenal gland with synthetic hormone (Synacthen) to see how much cortisol is made in response. The test involves blood tests and an injection.Title - Manipulation under general anaesthetic and care of plaster cast
Description - An injury to a limb can cause a bone to come out of a joint (dislocation), or cause a break in the bone (fracture.) A child with a broken bone will be unable to move the affected part. There will be swelling and sometimes obvious deformity. Your child will also be in some pain. An x-ray will be taken to tell us exactly what is broken.Title - Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA)
Description - The Heart is made up of four chambers: the upper two chambers are called the atrium and the lower two are known as ventricles. Muscular walls, called septum, divide the heart into two sides. On the right side of the heart, the right atrium and ventricle work to pump deoxygenated blood to the lungs; on the left side, the left atriumTitle - Port-a-Cath Central Venous Access Device
Description - Some children have long term chronic conditions or diseases which require frequent blood sampling or intravenous treatments such as blood transfusions or antibiotics. Having a Port-a-Cath (port) enables access to the child’s major veins to enable this to happen.Title - Post Operative Information Following Squint
Description - Post Operative Information Following SquintTitle - Prolonged Jaundice
Description - Jaundice is the name given to the yellow appearance of the skin and eyes. It is due to the build of up of a chemical in the body called bilirubin, which is normally passed out of the body in urine and stool (poo). Jaundice is fairly common in new-born babies.Title - Turner Syndrome
Description - Turner Syndrome is a chromosomal condition where there is a lack of, or abnormality of, the second X chromosome (45 XO). It affects only females. Turner Syndrome is usually characterised by short stature and non-functioning ovaries which cause the absence of sexual development and infertility.Title - Variations of Pubertal Development
Description - Variations of Pubertal DevelopmentTitle - Vesico Ureteric Reflux (VUR)
Description - VUR occurs in about one in every 100 children. It is ten times more common in white children than black children, and is also a lot more common in girls than in boys. If one child in a family has VUR, there is a chance that the other children could have VUR too, so monitoring might be suggested for brothers and sisters. VUR is usually diagnosed in under fives. It is much less common in older children, who may have outgrown the problem.Title - Vitamin K in babies
Description - Vitamin K is an essential vitamin which is made in the bowel that is used for blood clotting. Babies have very little vitamin K in their bodies at birth because: • Vitamin K from the mum is not easily shared with the developing baby during the pregnancy. • The intestine of the newborn baby has very little bacteria, so they do not make enough Vitamin K on their own.Title - Vulvovaginitis
Description - Young girls sometimes complain of burning or pain when they wee (dysuria), and although this can sometimes be a sign of a urinary tract infection, it is more commonly caused by irritation of the skin in and around the vaginal area (vulvovaginitis) or at the opening of the urethra (urethritis).Title - Whooping Cough
Description - Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is an infection of the lining of the respiratory tract. Mainly affecting babies and young children, it is called whooping cough because of the characteristic ‘whoop’ sound that is made by a sharp intake of breath following a bout of coughing. - Pain Team
Title - Baclofen
Description - Baclofen is a stereoselective gamma-aminobutyric acidB (GABAB) receptor agonist with an approved indication to control spasticity. However, in recent years, baclofen has been used successfully to reduce craving and help maintain abstinence in previously alcohol dependent patients. It is an evidenced based medication for using off license in alcohol cravings/compulsions.Title - Fascia Iliaca block
Description - Treating and managing pain following fracture neck of femurTitle - Medial Branch Block of Cervical Facet Joint
Description - The aim of this procedure is to lessen the experience of pain. Time in the pain management clinic is available for you to discuss possible options available with the doctor providing this treatment. Prior to treatment you will be asked to sign a consent form. Potential risks are listed on the consent form for your information so that you may read and understand the treatment you are about to receive.Title - Medial Branch Block of Lumbar Facet Joint
Description - The aim of this procedure is to lessen the experience of pain. Time in the pain management clinic is available for you to discuss possible options available with the doctor providing this treatment. Prior to treatment you will be asked to sign a consent form. Potential risks are listed on the consent form for your information so that you may read and understand the treatment you are about to receive.Title - Patient Controlled Analgesia (PCA)
Description - Analgesia is the medical term for pain relief medication. Following surgery your doctor may prescribe you PCA. This is a system that involves a cannula in your arm being connected to a machine containing a supply of pain relieving medication (Morphine). The machine allows you to control the delivery of your own pain relief.Title - Rectus Sheath Block
Description - Treating and managing pain following abdominal surgeryTitle - Sacroiliac Joint Injection
Description - The aim of this procedure is to lessen the experience of pain. Time in the pain management clinic is available for you to discuss possible options available with the doctor providing this treatment. Potential risks are listed on the consent form for your information so that you may read and understand the treatment you are about to receive. It is important that you inform the doctor of any medication you are taking prior to undergoing this treatment. - Patient Experience
- Patient Safety
- Pharmacy
Title - Insulin
Description - You have been prescribed insulin by your doctor or specialist nurse.Title - Intravenous (IV) iron infusion
Description - An iron infusion is iron delivered intravenously via a drip and pump which takes between 30-60 minutes. You will be observed for a further 30 minutes after completion of treatment. A nurse will monitor your blood pressure and pulse rate throughout your infusion.Title - Understanding Your Medicines: Stroke and TIA (Transient Ischaemic Attack)
Description - A stroke is what happens when the blood supply to the brain is disturbed: the brain tissue does not get any oxygen and the brain cells die. A TIA (sometimes called a ‘mini stroke’) is similar to a stroke and causes the same type of symptoms but it resolves within 24 hours. Treatment of a TIA is important however as it can be a warning sign that a patient is at risk of having a stroke.Title - Your Unlicensed Medicines
Description - You will have been given this leaflet by your doctor or pharmacist because the medicine prescribed is not ‘licensed’ or does not have a licence for your illness or for children in general. We want to reassure you that we have thought very carefully about the best medicine for you or your child. - Physiotherapy
Title - Managing at Home with a Lower Limb Injury
Description - There are several activities which people perform daily which they find significantly more difficult following injury or surgery on a lower limb. Detailed within this booklet are some hints, tips and advice to allow you to manage with as little disruption as possible on discharge from the acute hospital setting. - Plastic Surgery
Title - Advice and Exercises Following Removal of Groin Lymph Nodes
Description - You are having surgery that examines and removes lymph nodes from your groin. The lymph nodes are part of your lymphatic system. This system is a network of vessels carrying fluid around the body. It takes away waste products from the body's tissues.Title - Advice and Exercises Following an Axillary Dissection (Armpit Surgery)
Description - You are having surgery that examines and removes lymph nodes from your armpit (axilla). The lymph nodes are part of your lymphatic system. This system is a network of vessels carrying fluid around the body. It takes away waste products from the body's tissues. It also plays an important role in fighting infections. Lymph nodes act as `filters` and so can trap bacteria but also cancer cells. - Pre Op
Title - Pre-Operative Information
Description - Preparing for your planned surgery before coming into hospital avoids delays on the day of your admission and reduces the risk of cancellation. The results of any tests and investigations completed today will be reviewed by the pre-operative staff and your pre-operative practitioner/nurse will be in touch if any further tests or investigations are required.