Sunshine Coast University Private Hospital invests
in the future of neurosurgery
The full range of neuro-oncology procedures can now be performed on the Sunshine Coast, thanks to the installation of the latest Medtronic O-arm and
StealthStation S8 technology at Sunshine Coast University Private Hospital.
The Ramsay Way 2019 | 01 9
HOSPITAL NEWS
New app to support
mental health patients
across Ramsay
Ramsay Health Care has launched a new app to
support its mental health patients after they leave
the clinic.
‘MyStayWell’ is a discharge planning tool which allows
patients to gain direct access to their personalised ‘stay well’
strategies including triggers, early warning signs and coping
strategies.
The app also provides the patient’s personally identified
support network contacts and direct telephone contact link
to emergency services.
'MyStayWell’ is designed to provide relevant relapse and
‘stay well’ information to assist the delivery of high quality
health and continuity of care to patients.
It is recommended that this app is implemented in
consultation with a Ramsay mental health professional,
and in conjunction with the MyStayWell discharge workbook,
which was developed as part of the Ramsay mental health
individual and group therapy programs.
‘MyStayWell’ was piloted at Warners Bay in 2018 with
excellent feedback from patients.
The app is free to download and is available to anyone who
might find this tool useful. To access this app please search
‘MyStayWell’ on your app store.
Sunshine Coast University Private Hospital CEO, Oliver
Steele, said the hospital had recently invested more than
$1million in the latest-generation, specialised technology
to enable a wider spectrum of brain surgery and minimally-invasive
spine surgery procedures.
“The two pieces of technology can now be used together
for safer and more accurate procedures,” Mr Steele said.
The O-arm machine is used to take a scan of the patient
during particular spine, cranial, orthopedic and, ear,
nose and throat surgeries. This scan provides a ‘map’
of the patient’s anatomy which is then transferred to the
StealthStation navigation system. The navigation system
is then used as a guide for the surgeon by showing the
location and direction of the instruments they are using
on a 3D scan.
Dr Stephen Byrne, neurosurgeon at the Sunshine Coast
University Private Hospital, said the new equipment has
allowed doctors to perform the region’s first craniotomy.
“In addition to that exciting milestone, we have also
performed many brain tumour operations for primary and
metastatic brain tumours, as well as pituitary tumours
in conjunction with our ENT colleagues,” Dr Byrne said.
“We can also perform complex, minimally-invasive spine
procedures for patients with severe degenerative spinal
deformity, traumatic and neoplastic lesions,” he said.
“This surgery is now safer and can be done through
much smaller incisions with a shorter recovery time.”
The combination of the O-arm and StealthStation
S8 technology provides patients with better
access to the latest services and treatments.
Previously, people requiring neuro-oncology
procedures may have had to travel to Brisbane
to access the latest technology and treatment.
“Brain tumour surgery is a stressful time for
patients and their families and the community
benefits by keeping families together on the Coast
whilst recovering from surgery,” Dr Byrne said.
Hundreds of mental health patients are being treated in the comfort of their own homes each year,
which is having a dramatic impact on health outcomes and hospital re-admissions.
Staff from New Farm Clinic are making more than 380 visits
each month to the homes of outpatients to monitor their
symptoms and provide them with the necessary support
to manage their illnesses.
New Farm Clinic CEO Kenneth Craig said clinicians can
identify a relapse while visiting a patient.
Patients can be referred to the ‘Hospital in the Home’
program at the end of their stay at New Farm Clinic and
can receive weekly, fortnightly or three-weekly visits from
nurses or allied health staff.
The program has been running for the past 15 years, but
there has been a steady increase in the number of patients
who are using the service.
250 patients per year receive treatment through the
program, which has grown to become one of the largest
community outreach programs in Australia.
“It’s quite simplistic in its approach but it can have quite
a profound affect on the patients,” Mr Craig said.
Many patients admitted to New Farm Clinic don’t have a
strong support network around them and this can lead to
frequent hospital re-admissions. The program is providing
vital community engagement, which has helped to
significantly lower these figures.
“It’s a point of contact. Remember, a lot of these people live
at home alone and it keeps a nice connection for the person
as well,” CEO Ken Craig said.
New Farm Clinic offers patient programs that specialise in
the treatment of mood disorders, personality disorders,
eating disorders, psycho-geriatrics and general psychiatry.
Patients are assessed at the end of their stay to ensure the
‘Hospital in the Home’ program is suitable for them. It can
be available to patients for up to six months after being
discharged to maintain a high level of ongoing care.
Help in the
home for
patients
through New
Farm Clinic
Copyright © Medtronic.
All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.