QEII’s Trauma Consult Service aims to help patients receive best care possible

Physicians and nurses assess and coordinate the care of patients, who have highly specialized needs

CITYnews halifax \ Meghan Groff

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The QEII Health Sciences Centre has a new service aimed at helping trauma patients receive the best care possible.

The Inpatient Trauma Consult Service is an extension of Trauma Nova Scotia.

Senior Medical Director Dr. Robert Green says seven dedicated trauma consultant physicians and five nurses will work to assess and coordinate the care of patients, who have highly specialized needs.

“When you look at trauma patients, they’re not just a broken hip. They’re usually a broken hip, a broken pelvis, a lung contusion, a traumatic brain injury, so there’s a lot of different specialists in the hospital that need to weigh in and provide their expertise,” he told CityNews Halifax.

“So we’re going to be the point person on that going forward. To organize everyone in this massive QEII to look after exactly what the patient needs.”

Green said the team will be having conversations with those patients and anyone who will be involved in their care so they can all have a better understanding of what exactly the injuries are, how long it will take to recover from them and what to expect throughout the process.

“We know that patients leave the hospital without having enough information. And a lot of times they don’t understand, so we’re making sure that continuity in care and communication is happening with patients, families and their caregivers, primary care physicians as well.”

Adult trauma patients from all over the province get transferred to the QEII for life-saving treatment and support.

It’s hoped this program will improve their outcomes.