I finally have an appointment to get my problematic residual phalanges taken care of. The hospital created an account for me into their fancy-shmancy “My Recovery Path” online system, in which they told me I’d find messages about my care, imaging results, appointments and the likes.
So I logged in to check it out, and I found my first automated message in the inbox - a 5-page PDF that went something like this:
Welcome to your My Recovery Path account!
You’ve been referred to the Foot & Ankle team for RESIDUAL TOES REVISION. Before your first appointment for RESIDUAL TOES REVISION, here are helpful documents to help you deal with common toe problems.
- Best footwear for bunions
- Avoiding blisters on hammertoes
- How to care for diabetic toes
- Trimming ingrown toenails safely
- Reducing hallux rigidus pain
- …
Like… Really?
Clearly the word “toe” in my referral triggered the sending of this boilerplate.
I realize whoever programmed this system means well, and the hospital means well too. And I can see this system is convenient as a one-stop shop to get information about my problem and communicate with the doctors. But the automatic “helpful” advice is a bit depressing…