Bluewater Health patients requiring total knee and/or hip replacement surgery will now have access to an electronic tool, called SeamlessMD©, that will help them prepare for their procedure and support them through their recovery afterwards.
To further strengthen Bluewater Health’s renowned Total Joint Replacement Program, the hospital has invested in this interactive step-by-step platform that offers automated patient reminders, to-do lists, daily health checks, and access to self-care information before and after their surgery. Patients and their caregivers can access the platform via an app on any smartphone or tablet, or a web link on their 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,” says Dr. Alvaro Ramirez, Medical Director/Chief of Surgery and Ambulatory Care. “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 offers consolidated patient education/information and will improve the overall patient experience, their ability to self-manage, and their overall health outcomes – and even has the potential to reduce visits to the Emergency Department and prevent hospital re-admissions.
“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,” says Laurie Zimmer, Vice President of Operations. “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.”
The platform will be evaluated regularly by Bluewater Health administration, and will include patient, caregiver, physician, and staff feedback.
To learn more about Bluewater Health’s Total Joint Replacement program, and the SeamlessMD© platform, visit: https://www.bluewaterhealth.ca/total-joint-replacement