Eastern Health has started to complete hip and knee replacement surgeries on an outpatient basis.
The first surgeries in what the health authority calls a new and innovative approach to managing surgical waitlists occurred last week.
VP of Clinical Services with Eastern Health, Debbie Walsh says they’re pleased that the first patients eligible for outpatient joint replacement surgeries have now had their surgeries completed.
Those patients are released to go home on the same day of their surgery, where she says, they can recuperate more quickly and in the comfort of their own homes.
She says the health authority is confident that the new approach will provide the best possible outcomes for patients.
The health authority says a number of changes have been made to accommodate outpatient hip and knee replacements. They include:
- Updating the former Nuclear Medicine Unit at St. Clare’s Mercy Hospital. The space extends the current day surgery unit to create spaces for recovering patients who have had an outpatient joint replacement.
- Creating a room where specially trained staff will use a variety of tools and equipment to help patients get up and move sooner after their surgery.
- Putting in place four new full-time positions for two registered nurses, a physiotherapist and a clerical support person.
- Employing innovative changes in practice and protocols, which have already been proven effective for these same-day procedures in other jurisdictions.
