A Bay of Plenty Hospital has out-performed 25 other institutions by getting its orthopaedic trauma patients into theatre the fastest.

The Health Round Table reports Whakatane Hospital beat 25 institutions across Australasia for the trauma time to theatre outcome as came second for the length of stay outcome, with patients remaining in hospital fewer days following hip and knee replacements.

Whakatane Hospital visiting orthopaedic surgeon Nigel Giles says this success has not come about by chance.

'The ethos of our department is to give patients as trouble-free a journey as possible. As with all things, excellence can only be achieved when people pool their skills in a cooperative way.”

The hospital's success in these two outcomes has resulted from several specialists and professional teams collaborating to create a carefully streamlined patient journey, says Nigel.

'We explain to our patients at their very first consultation that hospitals are good at treating sick people, but can be potentially harmful to those who are well, due to the risk of hospital acquired infection.

'People having joint replacement surgery are generally well individuals suffering pain and disability, but they are not sick. All they need is a spare part. So the shorter their hospital stay, the lesser their chance of infection.”

Patients are invited to attend Operation Preparation Clinics, where they meet with a nurse, social worker, physiotherapist, occupational therapist and anaesthetist before their operation takes place.

Each of these professionals explains their role and how they will help in the recovery process.

'Patients are encouraged to ask as many questions as possible and to make notes, as we know that clients retain less than 10 per cent of what is said at a clinical session,” says Nigel.

The clinics also provide the opportunity for the team to identify potential problems that could affect length of stay, and plan a course of action to mitigate them.

Patients are admitted on the day of surgery, as same day admission reduces the chance of hospital acquired infection.

Finally, surgeons use the latest techniques to reduce blood loss, pain, swelling and the need for blood transfusion. These techniques also allow them to operate efficiently and minimise time in theatre, which is known to reduce complication rates.

'Once patients are discharged they are expected to aid their own recovery by performing the exercises learnt during their journey.

'This helps them to recuperate faster and teaches them how to get over the pain, swelling and stiffness.”

The Health Round Table is an independent body set up to look at quality of health care in Australasia.