Proposed Topic (Most preferred): :
Clinical Safety and Quality Service III (Projects aiming at quality service to patients and their carers)
Authors (including presenting author) :
LAI WH(1), LAM WY(1), LEE YP(1), HO MW(1), CHAN KLA(1), LUI YT(1), TANG WYW(1), CHENG YC(1), LAI SWV(1), WONG MK(1), MOK WY(1)
Affiliation :
(1)Department of Orthopaedics & Traumatology, Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital
Introduction :
Formerly, patients who underwent joint replacement surgeries were arranged follow-ups by different healthcare teams individually. Since December 2013, Department of O&T, PYNEH has adopted a collaborative team approach that offered integrated rehabilitative services during the early post-operative stage. This approach allowed patients to receive follow-ups from multidisciplinary teams in a one-stop visit, ensuring they received comprehensive rehabilitation training and holistic care shortly after discharge. In response to the establishment of the Joint Centre starting from October 2022, the services provided in the multidisciplinary rehabilitation program have been further expanded and enhanced together with the Integrated Model of Specialist Out-patient (SOP) Service through O&T Nurse Clinic (IMSN).
Objectives :
To assess the impact and efficiency of the program in providing comprehensive care and support to patients after total joint replacement.
Methodology :
In 2023/24, a service review was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the program with outcome measures including (1) length of in-patient stay (LOS); (2) the attendance record of participation; (3) waiting time to join the program after in-patient discharge; (4) problems detected & early managed; (5) unplanned readmission rate; & (6) patient satisfaction survey.
Result & Outcome :
More than 400 patients who underwent joint replacement surgeries benefited from the program in 2023. The average length of stay (LOS) for in-patients was 6.9 days. Additionally, patients attended their first follow-up within 4.6 days after discharge. On average, each patient attended 6.7 follow-up sessions and the overall duration of completing the program was 34.1 days. During the program, certain issues were identified in more than 1.5% of patients such as wound problems, suspected deep vein thrombosis, and joint stiffness. The rate of unplanned readmissions was below 0.7%. From the above findings, it was suggested that the multidisciplinary rehabilitation program plays a crucial role in prompt initiation of aftercare, and supporting joint replacement patients throughout their early post-operative journey. Such effective and efficient transitional care did not only demonstrate the convenience it brought to patients but also served as an indicator of high quality care and services provided.
