In an effort to improve patients' recovery time, Christus St. Elizabeth Hospital and Beaumont Bone and Joint Institute in Beaumont, Texas, recently launched a program titled "Excellence in Joint Replacement," according to the Beaumont Enterprise.
Here are four key points:
1. The program aims to involve patients' family and friends in their recovery process.
2. One friend or family member – labeled the "support coach" – learns how to care for the patient. This includes preparatory care before the operation, along with learning about postoperative care.
3. Patients and support coaches attend a class prior to the procedure, to learn all proper care practices in advance. Patients and their support coaches also attend group classes to discuss their recovery processes with one another.
4. Orthopedic surgeon Wagdy Rizk, MD, of the Christus Southeast Texas Orthopedic Specialty Center told the Beaumont Enterprise that the hospital's postoperative infection rate was 0.5 percent – half of the national average.