PCAN arthroplasty project breathes new life into pre- and post-operative care

The Perioperative Clinical Action Network (PCAN) Arthroplasty Project is a perfect example of the impact physicians can have on the health care system, and on patients’ experiences, when they lead change. Dr Nimrod Levy, a Duncan-based orthopedic surgeon, felt that with better preoperative optimization, education, and post-operative care, arthroplasty patients could achieve better outcomes and lower complication rates—so with SSC and Shared Care funding, he set out to achieve that.

Following the success of the Surgical Patient Optimization Collaborative (SPOC), PCAN was created to continue the development of local and regional surgical solutions and quality improvement efforts. Since then, the PCAN team has worked to develop collaborative strategies in pre-operative care and support surgical improvements throughout BC.

Fast-forward to 2024, with funding and support from the SSC, Shared Care, and extensive support from PCAN, the project has seen success. The team has developed a comprehensive patient toolkit and resource book, a customizable smart device app that allows for improved education and direct communication with surgical care teams, as well as an after-hours on-call attendant for patients requiring more urgent care.

“The app has been extremely helpful. It provides me with lots of important information and easy-to-follow exercise videos. I appreciate the almost-immediate feedback it gives me, and the ease with which I can be in contact with Dr Levy and his team,” describes one patient. “It’s like having a doctor in your pocket.”

The team hopes to reduce the rate of post-operative emergency department visits by providing the patients with improved pre-operative education and post-operative support.

“I feel that with the support of SPOC, Shared Care, SSC, PCAN, and Doctors of BC, we have been able to significantly and positively impact arthroplasty patients’ outcomes,” explains Dr Levy. “We improved their satisfaction, reduced their anxiety, and sped up their recovery. They are spending less time in hospital, using less health care resources, and likely will have lower rates of complications.”