MONTREAL, Feb. 23, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - Montreal Heart Institute (MHI) clarifies that the operating rooms are all opened and functional.
Construction on the operating rooms was initiated in September 2006. The scope of work consisted of replacing the four surgery rooms with seven new rooms equipped with leading edge technologies. Built as an extension of the original infrastructure five of the new rooms are used for current activities, including one room always available in case of emergency. The sixth room, a surgical hybrid facility, will be used for research as well as the evaluation of new technologies and is expected to be in service in the near future. The seventh room is available to meet future demand in heart surgery. The expansion of the operating room and the central sterilization facility was coupled with a major upgrade in the surgery unit with the addition of eight new intensive care beds.
The operating rooms at MHI are therefore all in function and meeting the needs of the Institution. As of today 96 % of the scheduled surgery cases have been realized.
Intensive recruitment efforts at MHI
Like other health establishments, MHI is affected by the shortage of intensive care nurses. The shortage issue is further compounded at MHI since more than one third of our beds are situated in the intensive care units. However, as a result of proactive recruitment campaigns the shortage is on its way to being resolved. Indeed, MHI has recruited over 275 nurses in the last three years and many of them are currently in training for the intensive care units. MHI has also established a mentoring process to support the newly recruited nurses. Many other initiatives have been taken to retain the nurses at MHI and ensure continuation of services, for example: clinical monitoring, education grants and working conditions that facilitate work and family life.
"All the personnel and the medical staff at MHI are working together to innovate in terms of recruitment and working conditions with the aim of managing and reducing the surgery waiting list. At MHI, all urgent cases are done within the prescribed delays. The safety and security of our patients are our priorities and rigorous procedures are in place to evaluate all cases on the operating list" stated Dr. Michel Pellerin, chief of surgery at MHI."
About the Montreal Heart Institute: www.icm-mhi.org
Anne-Julie Ouellet
Director, Communications and Partnerships
Montreal Heart Institute
514 376-3330, ext. 2700
[email protected]
Share this article