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Sending knee replacement patients home early is safe and could be expanded


January 16, 2019

Dr. Geoffrey DervinNew research led by Dr. Geoffrey Dervin builds on The Ottawa Hospital’s leadership in helping joint replacement patients recover safely at home. Dr. Dervin and his team were among the first to show that sending appropriate patients home the day of their knee replacement surgery is just as safe as spending the standard two days in hospital. Their latest study, published in International Orthopaedics, confirms this, and also looks at possible ways same-day discharge could be opened up to more people. While many knee replacement patients in their study were kept in hospital because of health conditions, a large number could not go home the same day because they did not have help at home or lived far away from a hospital.  If these barriers were overcome through home care or local medical accommodations, the researchers estimate that the percentage of same-day knee replacements at The Ottawa Hospital could rise from 31 percent to 55 percent, resulting in better patient experience and lower costs.

“The Ottawa Hospital is already a national leader in helping joint replacement patients recover safely at home. We are excited by the possibility of even more patients benefiting from this program.”- Dr. Geoffrey Dervin, orthopedic surgeon and clinician investigator at The Ottawa Hospital and associate professor at the University of Ottawa.

Authors: Megan Gillis, Johanna Dobransky, Geoffrey F. Dervin

Funding: Dr. Dervin’s research is possible because of generous support from the community for research at The Ottawa Hospital. This study was also funded by The Ottawa Hospital Academic Medical Organization.

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