Michele, Those are a good start. Now... when the family comes to talk to the surgeon, are there systems in place to provide interpreters (including sign language interpreters, as needed) to assure that all in the family understand what the surgeon is saying? Years ago, I was volunteering in a local hospital and tried to help a deaf family who had brought in their aging grandmother. The stiff-necked receptionist in the ICU ward kept telling the family that they should go home and wait for a phone call from the doctor who would explain to them how their mother was doing. Except she was saying this (not writing, not signing) to the family -- and this was before the days of relay services! GRIN Dr. Jane Jarrow