GP CALHN Link Issue 6 | Prehabilitation, clinical trial recruitment, research stories

GP CALHN Link - Creating a better connection

Monday, 20 February 2022

We are continually looking for ways we can better partner with GPs for the benefit of patients. In this edition find out more about:

How a new prehabiliation program is reducing surgery complications
Opportunities for patients to join a sciatic pain clinical trial
A new "at a glance" burns poster for GPs
Essure contraceptive device support line
How to provide feedback to improve our websites
World-class care and research from our network

Prehabilitation improves patient surgery journey

More South Australians can reduce their risk of complications during and after surgery, thanks to access to a new digital health pathway helping patients to become as healthy as possible before their operation.

Our My PreHab Program allows patients to turn passive wait time, the time between being referred for possible surgery and their initial consultation, into active waiting time, which they can use to get healthier and decrease their risk of something going wrong.

One in five people experience complications from surgery that affect their health and recovery, with complications after surgery also being a major cause of morbidity and mortality. This can result in much longer hospital stays and a potentially increased risk of needing re-admission.

The service aims to optimise the health of a patient before their non-urgent surgery and set them up for the best post-surgery recovery by addressing modifiable risk factors such as smoking, low iron, pain management, alcohol, drugs and medication, frailty, exercise, nutrition and weight optimisation, and emotional wellbeing.

In collaboration with their trusted GP, patients are encouraged to improve their health by making evidence-based choices like quitting smoking, optimising weight and physical activity, managing existing pain, preparing their home environment and managing conditions such as diabetes and anaemia.

The program was created by the CALHN Surgery Program, in partnership with the Adelaide Primary Healthcare Network, Health Translation South Australia and The Hospital Research Foundation Group.

It began with people referred for consideration to undergo joint replacement surgery at the Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH) and The Queen Elizabeth Hospital and is now available to those referred for complex hernia repairs and rectal cancer surgery.

After the success of the initial rollout and positive patient feedback, CALHN staff are now expanding the program to people on the RAH rectal cancer and CALHN bariatric surgery pathways, with other specialities lining up to design tailored programs in 2023.

More information about the My PreHab Program can be found here.

Currently recruiting – Sciatic pain clinical trial

Do you have any patients with sciatic pain who may like to take part in a clinical trial?

Currently, there is no pain therapy for nerve pain that is both effective and free of adverse effects (such as nausea, constipation and sometimes, addiction).

This study seeks males and females who suffer from sciatic pain.

Participants will be required to attend PARC Clinical Research at the Royal Adelaide Hospital for an initial assessment, have an MRI to assess the origin of their pain and, if suitable, attend PARC for two days for treatment. They will receive in intravenous infusion of a new drug which may provide immediate pain relief.

At the end of the trial, participants will receive compensation for their time and expenses, and be reimbursed for any travel-related costs.

Who can participate?

Females and Males aged 18 to 75, who:

Have discogenic lumbar sciatic pain, and
are able to attend study visits at PARC at the Royal Adelaide Hospital for scheduled visits.

Click here to register a patient for this clinical study.

Seeking your feedback on our websites

How can we make our websites better for you? We would love to hear about your experiences with our websites.

Even if you haven’t used our websites before, we can learn a lot from what you would expect to see or do online.

Fill out the survey here.

The survey closes Tuesday 28 February 2023.

Essure contraceptive Support Service

Recent media about to the Essure contraceptive device has resulted in more calls to the Support Service, which is based at the Royal Adelaide Hospital. You may have also noticed more patients asking about the device.

The Essure implant is an intrauterine device (IUD) permanent contraceptive that has been used in women since 1999. The Essure device was removed from the market in 2017 following reports of adverse reactions in some women.

We recommend that women who may be experiencing symptoms or complications from the device to visit their GP as a first step to determine if symptoms are directly associated with your Essure implant.

The Essure Support Service will help women access their operation reports to determine if they have had the Essure device and will gather information about their current symptoms. They will then transfer their collated information and care to their local health network gynaecology department or the implanting surgeon.

If you have any questions, you can contact Essure®DeviceSupportService@sa.gov.au or call 1800 370 559 for further support.

New Burns Unit poster for display

Our Burns Unit at the Royal Adelaide Hospital has just updated its burns card and encourages GPs to print it and display at practices. It highlights the steps to take when assessing burns and how to treat the burns.

To find out more about referring patients to the Royal Adelaide Hospital Burns Unit, visit our website.

Download the poster here

Empowering patients in surgical consultations with question prompt lists

Researchers at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital are developing an evidence-based question prompt list (QPL) to help patients understand complex information in their surgical consultations and ask the questions that matter to them, helping them feel engaged, informed, and empowered throughout their journey.