SURGEON'S VIEWS

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 130, 4 June 1938, Page 7

SURGEON'S VIEWS

ORTHOPAEDIC CASES

PROPER ENVIRONMENT

The present children's hospital was unsuitable for orthopaedic cases, and they were justified in not resting until they had incorporated in any immediate building scheme a hospital suited to the needs of the long stay-in patient, said Dr. Alexander Gillies in an address to the annual meeting of the Wellington branch of the New Zealand Crippled Children Society on Thursday night. He stressed the importance of scientific treatment and proper environment for orthopaedic cases.

"If an elaborate building scjieme is embarked on pow which does not include these interests, it will be year* and years before we are able to secure what is adequate in such treatment," saia Dr. Gillies. "That being so, the question is, Have we any definite idea of what we want? We have heard a lot lately about acute hospitals, and the reason we could find no space in the new hospital as it was finally approved was the fact that it was to be an acute hospital. An acute hospital is a necessity. That goes without saying. "Patients acutely ill must have available all emergency methods for quick diagnosis and treatment, after which they remain in the wards still acutely ill and requiring most specialised treatment.- But there is a tendency, to put the non-acute, or long stay-in-hos-pital cases, on the shelf—to make no special provision for them, to think that as they are not acutely ill we need hot have the same concern. Nothing could be further from the truth as far as ward accommodation is concerned lor thesfj/ong stay-in cases. That ward is to be their home for months and years, and for this reason the non-acute cases require much more consideration with regard to accommodation. "An acute appendix case is admitted to hospital acutely ill, is operated on, and is out in ten days or two weeks. Apart from having the most up-to-date surgical appliances, he does not need to have the ward accommodation specially , considered, as he is in for such a short time, but take the long stay-in case who is there for months and years. There you have a different problem. ESSENTIAL PART OF TREATMENT.

"The opinion is unanimous that aa essential part of the recovery treatment is that the patient, especially if a child, should be urged and encouraged to live as full a life as possible during the convalescent period. Cheerful bright surroundings are desirable and the main objective is to keep the mind occupied and so sustain keen uninhibited interest in. the ordinary business of living. "And so we feel strongly that in any immediate'building scheme thil position regarding our children should not be overlooked, and we should become educated as to what we require. l There will be a great deal of discus- ( sion even yet in the matter. The modern type of orthopaedic hospital is the pavilion type, where the" patients have easy access to the out.side, folding walls, and doors, and large balconies. Such buildings are, comparatively spealang, not so expensive, although they would have to b# adequately heated." Dr. Gillies said that an orthopaedic hospital-was half wasted unless there was some system of after care, whereby the work of the'* surgeon could be followed up immediately and supervision .kept up till the patient was trained" or educated and put Into employment. "Nothing that you have done in; this society is other than truly economical and truly constructive," he added. "You save time, money, and life. You are building up ' capable men and women but of the gravest of disabilities and impairments. You achieve the reconstruction and restoration of that which would have been lost. You are putting into, practice the real principles of preventive , medicine."