“Familiarity of surroundings increases the healing process.” 

After a recent procedure at Marshfield Medical Center, Clarence, a retired dentist, found himself back home sooner than would be expected. Thanks to the Marshfield Clinic Home Recovery Care program, Clarence was able to receive hospital-level care in his home, rather than in a hospital bed. 

Clarence was one of several eligible patients recently sent home with the program after completing the Watchman procedure, a new approach to reducing risk of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation. Although there have been other times where he has stayed in the hospital for care, Clarence shares that being at home “was pretty seamless.” 

“A previous stay in the hospital was about 18 days, and when you look at a clock for that long, and four walls… well, at home, familiarity of surroundings increases the healing process. It’s more comfortable,” he says. 

Convenience and accessibility 

Clarence notes that although the procedure was a new experience for him, he felt reassured by the care he received at home. “I thought they did a good job covering everything,” he says. It was also helpful, he explained, that his daughter lives with him and could be present for visits. “She has a good understanding of procedures, and at my age I am starting to have some memory problems — it was good to have another set of ears.” 

Everything needed for his post-procedural care was readily available at home, he adds, making it more a part of everyday life and less disruptive. “They brought oxygen in, and they did an x-ray and echocardiogram — I could have that all done in the house.” 

In addition to these services, Clarence’s progress was closely monitored each day with twice daily nursing visits and regular vital signs. He found that he liked the convenience, which stood in contrast to his time in the hospital: “Instead of the constant every 2-hour interruptions because of the protocols the hospital has, here I did my own self-checking with the blood pressure cuff and everything, and that went really well.” 

Now fully recovered from the procedure and back to his usual routine, Clarence says that he would “absolutely” recommend the program to others needing similar care. “It’s a really good program. It went really well.”