Elective surgeries are resuming at Vancouver Island hospitals soon.
Island Health said in a news release issued on May 12 that it is resuming elective surgeries after the May long weekend and that there will be new safety measures put in place as part of their effort to keep patients, staff and medical staff safe.
“We are now in the process of contacting patients to determine their health status and whether they are willing and able to move forward with surgery,” the health authority said. “We recognize some individuals may wish to continue to postpone their surgery.”
Among the measures being implemented, include modified scheduling and workflows to maintain physical distancing, enhanced screening and assessment of patients prior to surgery. Surgeries will also be scheduled with more time in between them to allow for additional cleaning and infection control measures.
In an effort to reduce the number of patients that require an in-person pre-surgery assessment, Island Health said it is adopting new procedures and measures that will support virtual assessments “wherever possible and appropriate.”
Services will include virtual assessments, consultations, and individual or group education sessions.
Across B.C., 30,000 scheduled surgeries were postponed to ensure capacity in our hospitals to support patients with COVID-19, with approximately 4,000 of those surgeries in the Island Health region, according to the health authority.
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