For Nurse Practitioner Heike Kuehn, Women’s Health Is Personal

Heike Kuehn, MSN, APRN, approaches patient experience with the goal of making connection. “Anybody can relate to an experience of having a medical visit that’s ‘fine,’” she said, “but there’s not much of a connection there.” That’s why Kuehn, a nurse practitioner at ChristianaCare Women’s Health at Concord in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, makes note of personal patient details — that they care for an ailing parent, for instance — in their charts as a reminder to herself. “When somebody tells you something that intimate, you have to incorporate it into your understanding of everything else they’re going through, medically, socially, at home,” she said. “They’re the pieces that are salient to their experience, so you have to have some way to track and remember them.”

Kuehn aims to recall at least one detail about a patient that she can bring up with them the following visit – even if it’s a year later. “Sometimes they’re fun things about where they go every summer for vacation,” she said. “Other times, they have a tremendous effect on how engaged they are in their care.”

One patient said: “Heike is everything I could want in a care provider. I am amazed and appreciative of the kindness and care she offers especially when I know how stressful women's health care is in these times!”

After a decade in critical care, Kuehn appreciates the chance to see her patients year after year. That’s the continuity of care she can deliver in a practice that treats women in nearly every stage of life. “You get to know quite a bit,” she said, “not just about somebody’s medical history, but what they’re going through in their everyday lives.” A Wilmington native and University of Delaware graduate, Kuehn served in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps for five years before returning to Delaware to settle down close to family. Then she pursued her nurse practitioner degree in women’s health. “I always had an interest in women's health, and not just from my own experiences,” she said. “The field is constantly changing.”

While she does not treat pregnant patients, Kuehn delves into every other area of women’s health. She might discuss contraceptive needs with one patient, perimenopause symptoms with another, and urination issues with an older adult. “Each decade of a woman's life has such a new focus,” she said. “It’s such a wonderful progression of a relationship with a patient.” ChristianaCare Women’s Health Gynecology at Concord has a specialty in menopause and Kuehn is among the providers certified by the North American Menopause Society. Beloved by patients for running on time with few delays, Kuehn said she organizes patient visits in advance to maximize efficiency. When an annual women’s health visit includes everything from a pelvic exam and pap smear to a discussion of mammograms and bone density scans, Kuehn said structure is key. “There’s time for everything, but you have to steer that cart,” she said. “I can’t be winging it in there.” Patients have taken notice of personalized approach. “I knew from her questions that she had looked at my chart before the visit and I was happy to see that,” one patient said. “She was efficient and quickly made adjustments to my exam to make it as painless as possible. I felt ‘seen’ and appreciated her making accommodations without any fuss or embarrassment on my part.” To make a gift in honor of a ChristianaCare health care professional, click here.