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When Your Patients Need a Little Encouragement
Ortho Connect puts surgery in perspective 
Dennis Jeanes
Special to the Canadian Orthopaedic Foundation
"Every day, we get calls from waiting surgery patients who are anxiously seeking reassurance that they've made the right decision," says Debbie Gates, the Canadian Orthopaedic Foundation's Communications Manager. "Who better, then, than someone who's undergone and benefited from the surgery to allay your fears and put things in perspective?"
That's the thinking behind a new telephone-based, peer-support programme offered by the Canadian Orthopaedic Foundation, called Ortho Connect. Launched this February, the programme is intended to provide comfort and relieve some of the anxiety surrounding joint-replacement surgery. "We all know that new patients have many, many questions about their upcoming surgery," says Dr. Maurice Bent at North York General Hospital in Toronto. "And let's face it, patients expect me to reassure them, but hearing those same words from someone who has had a joint replacement just has more impact. It has a kind of instant credibility."
"The telephone volunteer I spoke to was very helpful, very understanding, a great listener and knew just what to say," says Elizabeth an Ortho Connect client. "The support I received was absolutely what I needed in order to go into the operation with my eyes open."
And, if you're a busy surgeon, it's hard to ignore the convenience, says Dr. Peter Southcott at Bluewater Health in Sarnia. "Ortho Connect offers me a place to refer patients who have a lot of non-medical questions. Often, patients will ask about assistance at home or how to prepare their home for their return. Having a programme like Ortho Connect to refer them to means I don't have to have all the answers."
Ortho Connect is concentrating for the moment on hip- and knee-replacement patients, who account for the greatest demand for support. Because patient needs are far more diverse, the Foundation is committed to expanding this service to include patients who have undergone all kinds of orthopaedic surgery, and parents of children who have been treated for scoliosis, developmental dislocation of the hip (DDH) and clubfoot.
"This programme is a source of pride for the Foundation," says Angelique Berg, Executive Director. Modeled after successful programmes available through other health charities, such as cancer's Reach to Recovery programme and muscular dystrophy's peer support programme, a very real need for encouragement from someone who has "been there" is being filled. "Patients are so grateful for the added encouragement. We hope surgeons will see Ortho Connect as a complement to the care they give each patient - from their office to the comfort of the patient's own home."
Just as surgeons know who might benefit from this support, they likely also know those happy, naturally helpful people who might be a perfect ‘telephone buddy'. "We hope surgeons refer patients to the Foundation as well as potential volunteers. Virtually all our Ortho Connect volunteers say they wish they had had access to a similar service when they were waiting for surgery."
[If you know a patient in need or who would be interested in volunteering for Ortho Connect, have them contact Debbie Gates at 1-800-461-3639 x3 - Ed.]
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