Would you choose to have surgery during the holidays? Do you think most people would? It’s a common belief
among hospital staff that patients would prefer being at home during the
holidays and not getting surgery at a medical facility. Staff members even
reduce the surgery times because they think there will be a lack of interest.
After all, the holidays are supposed to be all about love and
good times, not having operations. Right? Actually, there is little evidence to prove that is the
case.
Let’s look at the research on elective surgery during the holidays and see what 310 patients attending surgical or urological
outpatients had to say. They were given a self-completion questionnaire asking
them whether they would accept admission over Christmas and Easter holidays if
they had a choice. Overall 77 per cent of males and 76 per cent of females
would accept admission over the Christmas holidays for elective surgery. This
rises to 87 per cent and 88 per cent over the Easter holidays.
Who
are these people who would choose surgery during the holidays? They are older
patients, widows or widowers, retired patients, and patients with severe
symptoms and conditions. Contrary to the perceived opinions of hospital staff
members, these patients said they would accept admission for elective surgery
over the Christmas or Easter holiday periods.
A common surgery for older
adults is knee replacement. In this video, orthopedic surgeon Dr. Marc E. Rankin uses a model of a leg bone and a thigh
bone to demonstrate how knee replacement surgery is done:
Frances
Shani Parker, Author
Becoming Dead Right: A Hospice Volunteer in Urban Nursing Homes is
available in paperback and e-book editions in America and other countries at
online and offline booksellers.
Hospice and Nursing Homes Blog
Hospice and Nursing Homes Blog
