 The collaborative project began by streamlining patients into two recovery programs. One group spent five days in an acute care hospital then returned home and received regular visits from a rehab specialist. The other group received three days of acute care followed by seven days of inpatient rehabilitation. The previous model had patients in hospital for up to three weeks.
Testing revealed clear advantages to the new model. The number of inpatient rehabilitation days decreased by about 40% and the acute care length of stay decreased approximately 30%. Patient health outcomes actually improved. "The results were better than I had anticipated," explains Dr. Mahomed. "I was hoping that we could have some improvement in how we deliver care and hopefully have better access for our patients, but the outcomes were far better than that. It really is an example of how you can achieve a win-win for all."
 Dr. Nizar Mahomed
Smith and Nephew
Chair in Orthopaedic
Surgery Research
Dr. Nizar Mahomed is one of eight recipients of the CIHR - CMAJ Top Canadian Achievements in Health Research awards. The award recognizes Canadian researchers whose discoveries and innovations have had the biggest impact on the health of Canadians and around the world. He is being honoured for his pioneering work with the Total Joint Network.
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