![[APHA]](/images/logo_apha.svg){kind=logo}
People in New South Wales' (NSW) central west will no longer have to travel outside the region for cutting-edge knee surgery, thanks to Dudley Private Hospital's new million-dollar investment.
Orange will be the
first regional city in the state to offer total knee replacements
performed via a Robotic Surgical Assistant (ROSA).
Dudley Private's five
orthopaedic surgeons have begun training with the state-of-the-art
equipment, which will be installed at the Ramsay Health Care-owned
hospital in March 2020.
"The Dudley Private Hospital staff and surgeons
all welcome this evolution in adult joint reconstruction,"
orthopaedic surgeon Dr Evan Jones said.
He said the ROSA robot would give surgeons "an extra level of precision and accuracy", improving theatre efficiency and providing better patient outcomes at the 57-bed facility, which has been serving the community since 1915.
"The benefit for our patients is they can remain
in the region to have access to this technology instead of having to
travel to, and stay in, the metropolitan cities," Dr Jones added.
The number of total knee replacements performed
rose by 88 percent between 2003 to 2014, according to a 2017 report
by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care.
There were more than 52,000 nationwide
hospitalisations for the procedure in 2014-15, with higher rates in
regional areas – where patients had longer waiting times compared
to those in metropolitan cities.
"Total knee replacements are very common in
Australia so we're excited that we can offer additional services to
the region," Dudley CEO Paul McKenna said.
"The philosophy at Ramsay Health Care is 'people caring for people' and we believe robotics plays a large part in the future of how our staff and surgeons can care for our patients," he added.
Read more: Ramsay staff rally together in bushfire appeal
Read more: How 'speaking up' makes patients safer
Next Safety And Quality:
24/3/2020 Chris O'Brien Lifehouse part of infection reduction team
Previous Safety And Quality:
4/3/2020 Virtual care: A model for the future?