What Makes Quality Care?
Endoscopy is not only a procedure to detect the presence or absence of pathologies, and a Gastroenterologist is much more than a person who performs endoscopic procedures. Our Specialists spend the time discussing the clinical presentation prior to endoscopy, perform thorough endoscopic examination including obtaining adequate number of biopsies to rule out subtle changes on histology. Our Specialist also discuss the results with patients after endoscopy with a clear plan of management. Patients should go home with a detailed endoscopy report as this is the standard of care and you should demand that from your Gastroenterologist who performs the procedure.
Quality endoscopy occurs before patients are admitted to the hospitals. Our nursing staff go through each and every admission and to contact the patients if “red flags” are noted. These include the history of diabetes and the adjustments of Insulin and diabetic medications prior to the procedures; the use of CPAP machines as often patients need to be reviewed by one of our doctors prior to endoscopy. Our nurses also contact the cardiologist for further information, particularly with pacemaker information; go through blood thinning instructions to help prevent repeated procedures later on. It is these behind the scenes activities that make your admissions as safe as possible.
Quality endoscopy also means that if pathologies are found, you will be offered an appointment in a timely manner to see the very Specialist who performed the procedure. Our Specialists also reserve the time to ensure adequate follow up for patients with Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis; and for patients who have large polyps removed as discussion of histology is important. You may be surprised to know that not all centres offer this standard of care.
The standard of care in Australia should and does aim to prevent cross infection between patients. At our centres, we have automated sterilisation machines specifically designed for endoscopy equipment and we do employ dedicated and qualified sterilising technicians to ensure cross-infection is eliminated.
Lastly, patient convenience also forms part of "quality endoscopy". Across our 2 locations, you have a choice of day of the week to have the endoscopic procedure(s). At GastroMedicine& ENDOSCOPY, we recognise that time is a valuable commodity for many patients and their family, and we try our best to fit in with patients’ busy schedule. Our goal is to ensure that each and every patient has a seamless admission and a positive experience being looked after before arrival, whilst at the endoscopy centre as well as post-operative follow ups. After all, we are here to serve.