A learning site

[Peter Easton]

Cindy posed some important questions over on the Heart Forum under a new thread entitled "Reading TEst Results". She was looking for some help in deciphering the various data on the echocardiagram report and asked if anyone could help or refer her to a website with that information for laypersons.

Seems to me that what she is asking points up an important function that we might want to add to this site (or link to, if such a place exists) -- and that is a series of lay language guides and briefers on some of the lingo we need to know and data we need to understand in order to play a more active role in our own valve replacement decisions, or those of our loved ones. The forum and its postings are absolutely great, but some of this information doesn't necessarily get exchanged or is naturally so watered out and dispersed in the flow of messages that it is hard to locate in condensed, verified and useable form.

Wouldn't setting up that kind of an adjunct web page or two on this site enhance the critical "educational" function of the site and its usefulness for those facing AVR?

Peter

[BillC]

Peter,
Sounds like a great idea to me. Education (along with support and the other great reasons) is a major goal here. Hope it can be done. Hank?

[Kevin M]

Great idea.
I am still off work over the next few weeks, so I would be happy to take on any of the grunt work.
Kev

[Kevin M]

Forgot to add this.
Peter, I sent you a private message yesterday or day before regarding similar subject. Have a look and let me know your thoughts.

Kev

[Hank]

This is a great suggestion. If someone would like to start organizing the info in a useful manner, I will set it all up and get it online. If it weren't for the time factor, all of these things would instantly become a reality.

[Gerry]

This is one of the most informative web sites for people like us - it really answers a lot of questions.

http://www.americanheart.org/Scientific/statements/1998/119803toc.html

Regards

[Peter Easton]

An excellent and very informative source, Gerry -- thanks for passing it on!

The question now is, it seems to me -- how would it be possible to begin gathering, organizing, bridging between, and (where necessary) supplementing these sources on a variety of topics of critical interest to AVR candidates or recipients (and maybe "layering" them from simpler to more esoteric), so they don't just pass like ships in the night? In a low key, it's a bit like an instructional design task. Thing is, it would definitely require some time and some calories, though -- under the right circumstances -- many hands might make light work. Are folks (like myself a few weeks hence presumbably) who are waiting out convalescence the best source of sweat equity and volunteer labor for the task?

Peter