A new fracture clinic that offers immediate assessment and treatment is opening at Hurstville Private Hospital.
The clinic aims to give patients quicker access to treatment, without having to wait to be seen in emergency departments.
Sport and exercise physician and clinic director, Michael Jamieson says the clinic will unload the burden of such injuries on the public system.
"For people with potential fractures, having an X-ray is the first step. Our new fracture clinic allows GPs to send patients with a suspected break for an immediate assessment, appropriate triaging and specialist review," Dr Jamieson said.
"Patients don't need to wait at a busy public hospital emergency department, then wait in a queue for an X-ray, and then attend a follow-up fracture clinic appointment with a specialist, which can take up to two weeks.
"Our allied health team will assess the injury as soon as a patient arrives at the clinic and appropriate treatment or management by a specialist will be commenced immediately."
Patients will require a GP referral to attend the fracture clinic. On arrival, a physiotherapist will assess the injury and request an X-ray. The clinic's sport and exercise physicians or orthopaedic surgeons will then review the X-ray.
"Following the initial X-ray, appropriate immobilisation with casts or splints will be conducted then and there," Dr Jamieson said.
"For those patients requiring surgery, an operation will be scheduled immediately, or within the next 24 - 48 hours, based on fracture type."
Forearm fractures and wrist or hand fractures are ranked second and third in NSW public hospital emergency department presentations respectively, with wrist or hand fractures ranked fourth in those aged 20 to 29 years.
Across all age groups, they are ranked in the top 16 presentations to emergency departments.1
"While we're offering a private service for patients in St George and Sutherland Shire, people without private health cover, with a GP referral, are welcome to attend," Dr Jamieson said.
"There is a fee for service which will include the standard Medicare rebate."
Details: 8970 6111.
