Lions Gate Hospital Report - Page 2 _|Day care in medicine We are grateful that North Shore people have always come through with financial help when we have asked for it and when we have not. But as our economic restraints are tightened, we will depend increasingly on citizens if we are to give the kind of care our society demands. ; \ \ LGH Administrator John Borthwick Lions Gate Hospital has always been a good place to work and a good place to be a patient This is something worth preserving 1980-81 Chief of staff Dr Don Warner It is up to each of us to become involved in the running of our hospital We have a unique opportunity to direct and influence decisions that will affect health care delivery in our community We should grasp it 1980 81 President. LGH Medical statt De Frank Sigurdson if the back program is a good example of a growing concem for preventing future hospitalizations, the Chemotherapy. iron infusion and blood transfusion pro- grams show a new and growing concem for patient comfort and convenience. Patients can now come to thei local hospital, for intravenous therapy necessary to support thei treatment. instead of travelling downtown to the Cancer Control Agency of B.C. or to Vancouver General Hospital. They are able to relax in comfort close to home — especially important-for those requiring therapy for up to six hours, sometimes several times a week. Hospital statistics show that 15,000 people were treated as in-patients in 1969 and 1980. However in 1969, 21,300 were treated as out-patients and day care patients and in 1980 the number was 59,900 When the Medical Day Centre was first established, ad- ministration expected about 4,000 patient visits per year. The number is now about 1,300 per month Aware that they are laying the ground rules for future day programs, LGH staff are constantly searching for ways to analyze their results and translate them into cost savings. New programs are planned but must be justified, proving they benefit patients who may other- wise need further hospitalization. But the evidence so far clearly indicates that day programs relieve the pressure on beds as patients learn to live with their pro- blems and keep them under control A side benefit for the community has been the establishment of a permanent home for the Red Cross Blood Collection Service on the North Shore. Regular monthly clinics at the day centre yield up to 350 units — a figure previously collected quarterly Like patients, donors seem to enjoy the day hospital setting. Not only do they feel safe, they feel involved The Red Cross is promoting this concept with other hospitals Progressive medicine saves hospital beds Of the 11,500 patients who underwent surgery at LGH last year, more than one-third of them were admitted, had surgery and left — all in the space of a day The Surgical Day Centre. also an tnnovation that came with the Northern Expansion in 1979, is the second component demonstrating the move to effective: economical patient care at LGH tt is located next to the seven operating rooms, again away from the main hospital area It 1s compnsed of a spacious waiting room for incoming patients, lockers, preparation stretchers, treatment area. recovery area and a suite given over for endoscopy procedures (ex aminations of the body's internal organs by insertion of a wewing scope) Up to 28 patients can be accommodated. five days a week Procedures are scheduled in the main ORs and are slated according to urgency At the present time there is a waiting list of up to two months for some surgery, such as a tubal ligation. Surgery is relatively minor, but of the kind that surgeons prefer to perform in the hospital rather than the office. It includes gynecological surgery such as dilation and curettage: ear, nose and throat procedures such as removal of tonsils or adenoids: certain or- thopedics cases: general surgery, and diagnostic work such as arthroscopies, (examinations of the inside of the knee). Open from 6:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., the centre is staffed by a head nurse and four RNs specially trained in post-anesthetic recovery. Laboratory work is performed before admission, which is normally two hours prior to surgery. Patients undergo local or general anesthesia and, as with ali surgery. require careful monitoring until the effects have worn off. They are then offered refreshments before their escort arrives to drive them home. The centre also liases with community home care nurses who can visit patients at home for pre-operative preparation or after surgery to administer pain medica- tion or help with dressings. if more surgeons took ad- vantage of the home care service, it is likely that the numbers of day care surgery would increase Keeping healthy in mind and body It would be almost impossible to find a less institutional setting for a hospital Psychiatric Day Centre than tne beautiful old Cedar Park Lodge on St. Andrews. That it blends in perfectly with the surrounding neighborhood is symbolic of the kind of treatment it of- fers. Patients use the Lodge as a stepping stone back into the community where they are encouraged to func. tion to their best potential The North Shore is pretty unique in that all of its residents with psychiatric problems can usually be treated right in the community. They can be identified, Stabilized in hospital if necessary, and treated outside the hospital setting : That this can be done is a tribute to the close ties between psychiatrists in private practice, general! prac. tioners, the hospital and the North Shore Board of Health. The entire population is covered from the schools, through the court system, up to the tong term care facilities Day patients aged between 13 and 90 attend group or individual therapy sessions tailored to thei specific needs, often with other family members attending They are served by a variety of health professionals inciuding psychiatnsts. a psychologist. nurses, social workers and occupational therapists Treatment can vary from a mat ter of weeks to long-term day care attendance. requiring regular follow-up All this takes place in close coopera tion with family Goctors