A private hospital in Sydney is offering same-day knee and hip replacements to patients who are suitable for early discharge.
Eastern Sydney Private Hospital, which is partly owned by health insurer Medibank, today opened a new high-tech theatre so more patients can access the service.
Currently, 20 per cent of its elective surgery patients come from the public hospital system to help alleviate long waiting lists, which blew out during the pandemic.
Eastern Sydney Private Hospital, which is partly owned by health insurer Medibank, today opened a new hi-tech theatre so more patients can access the service. (9News)
“We have enhanced recovery after surgery protocols which allow patients on average to go home after two to three days and we’re now moving to a same-day model of care,” Dane Browne, East Sydney Private Hospital CEO, told 9News.
Orthopaedic surgeon Sol Qurashi said a series of interventions including minimally invasive surgical techniques, changes to pain management and patient education allowed patients to leave hospital early.
“Overall, (we’re) making the physiological insult of surgery less and early discharge possible,” Associate Professor Qurashi told 9News.
“A fit and well person with good social support at home, and motivated, would be an ideal candidate.”
Orthopaedic surgeon Sol Qurashi says a series of interventions including minimally invasive surgical techniques, changes to pain management and patient education allows patients to leave hospital early. (9News)
The service includes nurse and physiotherapist home visits.
The latest data from the National Joint Replacement Registry reveals the average length of stay in hospital after a knee or hip replacement has gone down in the past 15 years from seven days to four.
“I think it will trend towards shorter stays. I think we’ve got to be cautious,” the registry’s clinical director, Professor Paul Smith, told 9News.
“There’s an issue with a lot of this being driven largely from the private health insurance industry, there’s a conflict of interest.”
A spokesperson for NSW Health said not all health facilities would be able to conduct same-day joint replacements due to the comprehensive pre-surgical and follow-up requirements.
The latest data from the National Joint Replacement Registry reveals the average length of stay in hospital after a knee and hip replacement has gone down in the past 15 years. (9News)
The Agency for Clinical Innovation is actively working with Prince of Wales, Sutherland, Fairfield, Nepean, Hawkesbury and Gosford hospitals to safely set up same-day hip and knee surgical services.
“This program is targeting people whose surgery was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic so they can have their surgery sooner,” it said in a statement.
The NSW government has set up a Surgical Care Governance Taskforce to investigate other best-practice models to help reduce wait times.
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