Dr. Hervé David, orthopedic surgeon (L), and Lisa Chiasson, nurse manager (R), with patient at the Dumont Hospital. (Vitalité)
Vitalité Health Network says its surgical short-stay initiative has been successful so far and has resulted in good outcomes for patients.
“This approach involves designating short-stay inpatient beds for certain eligible patients who, after undergoing surgery, need a short period of monitoring or care before being discharged,” according to Dr. Jocelyne Hébert, medical director for surgeries.
The short stay is usually 24 to 36 hours and the types of surgeries include bariatric, urology, gynecology and orthopedic cases.
Vitalité says there are eight short-stay beds at the Georges-Dumont Hospital and three beds at the Chaleur Hospital in Bathurst with plans to add more.
The health authority says some benefits have included a more effective prioritization of patients, more surgeries can be performed and admissions to traditional surgery units can be avoided to keep those beds for more complex cases.
Officials also say this approach helps stabilize and in some cases reduce wait times.
