To the editor:
I can understand the concern for the wait times the Society of Anesthetists and citizen Don Campbell on behalf of his wife who is waiting 10 months plus for her hip replacement surgery. There are constraints on surgery set by the province and the regions, but I understand every effort is being made to reduce wait times and prioritization of individuals based on suitability for surgery.
READ MORE: Wait time for surgery ridiculous in Kelowna
My experience was vastly different than the Campbell’s; it is one of clear communications and reasonable time frames. It starts with the surgeon’s office. It was determined that I was a candidate for knee replacement surgery. At that time, the surgeon set a decision date that I was accepted for surgery. I was told the wait times were 10 to 12 months, but the new renovations at KGH resulted in more surgeries and wait times were coming down. They then set up an appointment with the Kelowna Surgical Optimization Clinic of Interior Health. They evaluated me and set up a starting regimen of Physio at Johnson Bentley and provided a 27-page comprehensive booklet on the processes to follow. There were no promises of wait times or order, only that I would be contacted when the times became closer. I followed the recommended exercise program.
About three months later I was called and asked if I was willing to go on the standby list should a cancellation occur, and I accepted. The clinic then scheduled me for an information training morning which was presented by nurses and physio staff. Then three weeks later an all-day training session, hospital tests and a meeting with an anesthetist, set me up for surgery. A month later I was indeed offered a standby date for surgery which I accepted and can report a successful outcome.
The entire process was professionally done, the staff of specialized nurses and physio trainers treated all of us in the classes courteously, with compassion and communicated clearly the processes both verbally and in written instructions.
My sincere thanks to all the people involved in the replacement program, surgery, the recovery room and surgical ward at KGH, from my viewpoint, a job well done!
Doug Waines
West Kelowna