NEWS RELEASE
ROYAL VICTORIA REGIONAL HEALTH CENTRE
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It just got a lot easier for families to track the progress of loved ones having surgery at Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH) with the introduction of the Patient Surgery Tracker.
The tracker has met with immediate rave reviews from family members waiting for updates on their loved ones.
“This tracker is a really great idea. You can watch as the patient goes through the system,” says Mark Schwekendiek, who is tracking his wife’s surgery. “Right now I can see that she is waiting to go into surgery and it will be nice to know when she does and when she is done. It certainly alleviates the stress of not knowing what is happening. I can see how parents of small children would really appreciate this service.”
The tracker, located in the Surgery/Central Registration area, displays the physician name, time the patient went in for surgery and the time they come out of surgery. To ensure privacy, each patient is identified by a number, not their name.
“We see family members leap to their feet and applaud when they see that their husband, wife or child has moved to recovery,” says Karen Winter, manager, Pre and Post Surgery, Endoscopy and ACT, Surgery Program.
Family members do not have to sit in the registration area to view the tracker screen however as it is now accessible through the RVH website. So a family member could be in the Food Court having a coffee and check the status through their device or even at home and still track their loved one’s progress.
“At RVH we are committed to patient-centred care,” says Janice Skot, RVH president and CEO. “Whenever a loved one is in surgery – regardless of how major or minor – it can be a very anxious time for those waiting. This new tracker alleviates some of that anxiety as, at a glance, family know where their loved one is during their surgical procedure. It’s another example of things we are doing at RVH to ensure the best possible patient experience.”
To access the Patient Surgery Tracker visit the RVH website at www.rvh.on.ca and click on the ‘Track a Surgery’ link at the top of the page. Free wi-fi is offered throughout RVH for patients and visitors using their own devices.
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