Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) release surgery is to be streamlined in the Southern District Health Board as a result of the 2016 Southern Innovation Challenge.
CTS is a painful condition of the hand and fingers, caused by compression of a major nerve, and may be caused by continual repetitive movements or fluid retention.
The SDHB's annual award was given to the orthopaedic and surgical outpatient teams at Southland Hospital in Invercargill for their innovative idea: the ''Carpal Tunnel Funnel - One Stop Shop Carpal Tunnel Surgery'' in the outpatient clinic.
The initiative means patients requiring carpal tunnel release surgery have their first consultation with a specialist and their surgery all in the same day, resulting in fewer visits to the hospital and less waiting time.
The teams, who have already successfully piloted the ''one stop shop'', were awarded up to $5000, which they will use to buy their own surgical equipment, rather than using equipment in the main operating theatres.
SDHB organisational development and performance executive director Mike Collins said the initiative fitted perfectly with the DHB's values and priorities.
''It values patients' time, as it provides our staff more time to focus on patients, and above all, is a great example of liberating innovation.''
Other successful entries included the Community Oral Health Service for an online oral health enrolment form; mental health community day programmes for sensory awareness tools like Fitbits, to introduce and encourage consumers to identify and manage emotional distress; a group representing pharmacy, infectious diseases and Southern Community Laboratories, to make it easier for prescribers to access the most up-to-date antimicrobial guidelines from any smartphone; and an MRI-compatible DVD system to decrease the need for sedation and general anaesthetic by reducing the feelings of claustrophobia when patients, especially children, require an MRI.
