LARYNGECTOMY.NET

Laryngectomy.net aims to explain the Therapeutic Education Program for Laryngectomees and Caregivers Quality of life, called PETAL

Introduction

The primary objective of the first phase, called pilot phase, was the creation and organisation of the PETAL programme within the study coordinator centre.

The first stage of the pilot phase aimed at evaluating the therapeutic education needs of patients and their caregivers, and professionals involved in their treatment, in order to implement a useful therapeutic education programme that corresponds to their expectations. This evaluation was conducted on:

– Patients and their caregivers, most directly concerned by the programme
– Speech pathologist, as the primary interlocutors with respect to upper aerodigestive tract disorders
– General practitioners, who are first primary care providers of the patient

The second stage consisted in using the results within a multi-disciplinary team, of the first stage in order to identify the main shortcomings of the current care, and define the primary objectives of the therapeutic education programme. The priority was to develop a programme that takes into consideration the patient and his/her family as a whole:

– For the patient: medical, social and psychological problems
– For the caregivers: resources and skills
– For health professionals: training, information, correspondence

The third stage aimed at building the actual programme, defining the educational methods. It developed around two axes:

– Creation of therapeutic workshops that target the main subjects, concerning patients and caregivers, creation of supports
– Creation of a website, that aims at training and informing the different professionals involved in the treatment of laryngectomised patients