Workflow: Drafting Post-Operative Recovery Instructions

This workflow takes you from a set of clinical parameters to a finished post-operative instruction document. The steps are identical whether you use Claude or ChatGPT. The whole process takes around ten minutes the first time.

1. Write your clinical parameters before opening the tool

   Spend two minutes writing down the key parameters for this patient's recovery: the procedure and approach, weight-bearing status, wound care, activity restrictions, physiotherapy referral status, driving guidance, return-to-work estimate, and warning signs. Having these written before you open the tool means the session is faster and the output is more specific.

2. Open the tool and set the task

   Open claude.ai or chat.openai.com and start a fresh conversation. Before giving the clinical content, type: "You are helping an orthopaedic surgeon draft post-operative recovery instructions for patients. I will give you the clinical parameters. Draft structured instructions in plain English using numbered lists and clear headings. Do not include specific drug names, doses, or anaesthetic information."

3. Provide your clinical parameters

   Paste or type your parameters. The tool will produce a structured instruction document in under thirty seconds.

4. Read the draft for clinical accuracy first

   Read the entire document as a clinician. Ask yourself: Is the weight-bearing guidance correct? Are the activity restrictions accurate for this procedure and approach? Is the wound care section consistent with your unit's protocol? Is the driving guidance based on your standard advice? Is the warning signs section complete?

5. Check the warning signs section with particular care

   The section advising patients when to seek urgent help is the most safety-critical part of the document. Read every warning sign listed. Are all the relevant ones there? Is anything listed that would create unnecessary alarm? Adjust this section against your unit's standard patient safety guidance before finalising.

6. Replace any general guidance with your unit's specific protocols

   The tool may produce general guidance in areas where your unit has specific protocols — fasting instructions, blood clot prevention, wound care timing, or physiotherapy start date. Replace any general guidance with your unit's specific instructions. Do not leave the tool's general guidance in place where your protocol is more specific.

7. Add information only you can provide

   The tool cannot add: your clinic's phone number and hours, the physiotherapy department contact, the patient's specific appointment dates, medication instructions, or any personalised information about this patient's situation. Add these yourself in your clinical system or word processor after copying the draft.

8. Read the finished document aloud before distributing

   Read the document aloud — or at least mouth the words — from beginning to end. A patient in mild post-operative discomfort, at home, possibly distracted, will read this once. Every sentence needs to be immediately clear. Remove any sentence that is ambiguous, any jargon that is unexplained, and any instruction that is imprecise.

What this means for you

Consistent, clear post-operative instructions reduce avoidable phone calls to your rooms. They reduce re-attendance for concerns that should have been managed at home. They also protect you: a patient who receives clear written instructions about when to seek help, and who does not follow them, has been given the information they needed. The tool produces consistency and speed. The clinical review is yours.

When not to use this workflow

For patients with significant comorbidities that affect their recovery — anticoagulation requirements, diabetes, significant cardiovascular disease, immunosuppression — the standard post-operative instructions are a starting point that requires additional personalisation. Use this workflow for the template, then add the patient-specific modifications yourself.

Remember: AI is a helpful assistant, not a clinician. You make the call.