A surgical team at Mackay Base Hospital (MBH) has been reaping the benefits of a professional connection forged in Edinburgh almost 15 years ago.
Dr Graeme Walker, formerly of Edinburgh and now the Director of Gynaecology at Gold Coast University Hospital, had a major influence on the career path of Obstetrics & Gynaecology specialist Dr Wojciech Szubert who joined the MBH Women’s Health Unit twelve months ago.
Last month, the former colleagues were scrubbed up and in theatre together again in Mackay as Dr Walker provided training in endoscopic surgery techniques.
“This is a journey for our department,” Dr Szubert said.
“Here in Mackay, 12 to 18 months ago, most of the hysterectomies were done by open surgery.
“Two of my colleagues started upskilling about a year ago, guided by a consultant visiting from the Sunshine Coast.
“And then I joined the team in Mackay in December last year; laparoscopic surgery is what I am trained to do.”
Dr Szubert explained that most hysterectomies and other gynaecological operations can be performed through keyhole surgery.
“Within one year we have shifted from open surgery to having the majority of the hysterectomies performed through keyhole surgery,” he said.
“The next step is improving the efficiency of the entire team, so we work quicker, more efficiently, and from the patient’s perspective, they can safely get discharged home quicker.
“We have reduced down from a three-day hospital stay for open surgery to, at the moment, having the patients go home the next morning.”
Dr Szubert is hoping for further improvements so that selected patients may be able to go home the same day, and the training provided by Dr Walker supports increasing efficiency and patient safety.
Dr Walker runs clinical immersion courses for theatre teams at the Gold Coast four times a year.
“This is always for the team, specifically the anaesthetist, surgeon, scrub scout and recovery nurse,” Dr Walker said.
“And what we’ve done here in Mackay is in reverse.
“It’s basically just me helping Wojciech to allow the department here to see what is the norm at the Gold Coast University Hospital in endoscopic surgery.”
Dr Walker explained that the specialist medical equipment company Medtronic support him to conduct the clinical immersion courses, and they also sponsored the collaboration in Mackay.
The two-day training experience has been a great success.
“I think the entire team – anaesthetics, gynaecology and nursing – has been absolutely excited to see that we can improve efficiency without any cost,” Dr Szubert said.
“Everyone is very keen to collaborate, very keen to make further changes, to advance the quality of the care we provide, and make surgical treatments less invasive and safer.”
Dr Szubert is also focused on sharing knowledge and experience.
“Last year we had two consultants who were at the beginning of the journey with performing laparoscopic (keyhole) hysterectomies. Now there’s three of us and we’re training two more consultants. We have also trained two registrars to become independent in laparoscopic hysterectomy.”
CAPTION: An MBH theatre team participating in a training course with Gold Coast University Hospital Director of Gynaecology Dr Graeme Walker, back left, are Doctors Szubert, Savant and Anand, and front from left, anaesthetist Dr Anderson, clinical nurse Jaimee and registered nurse Ruby.
