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Bluewater Health patients requiring total knee or hip replacement surgery now have access to a new electronic tool that will assist in preparing them for the surgery as well as supporting them afterwards.
The hospital announced Aug. 24 that it invested in the SeamlessMD platform, which offers patients a variety of interactive, step-by-step reminders, checks and vital information both pre-surgery and post-surgery.
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Patients can access the platform by using the app on their smart phone, tablet or computer.
“It is our goal to pilot the platform with our orthopaedic surgery team and their patients, with high potential to spread to other departments and specialties,” said Bluewater Health’s medical director, chief of surgery and ambulatory care Dr. Alvaro Ramirez. “All patients requiring complex surgeries or procedures could really benefit from this tool. We want our patients to feel as prepared as possible before and after their surgery; and the SeamlessMD© platform offers that next level of interactive support and assurance for our patients and their caregivers.”
This new tool will go a long way in improving patients’ experience and might even reduce visits to the emergency department as well as prevent re-admissions to hospital said Bluewater Health’s vice president of operations Laurie Zimmer.
“When you require a new hip or knee, there is a lot of patient education and information to digest – it can at times be overwhelming for patients and their families,” she said. “We saw that centres of excellence, like Sunnybrook’s Holland Orthopaedic & Arthritic Centre, were offering this electronic platform to their patients and were seeing fantastic results.”
Bluewater Health will evaluate the program regularly, getting input from staff, patients, caregivers as well as physicians. For more information about the new program, visit https://www.bluewaterhealth.ca/total-joint-replacement.