Katherine Hospital now has its very own fracture clinic. 

Using resources already available to them, hospital staff use telehealth technology to video chat with orthopedic specialists at Royal Darwin Hospital. 

The initiative was spearheaded by Katherine health experts, Dr Cameron Smith, clinical nurse Jodie Kretschmer and telehealth officer Lisa Collard. 

“At the end of 2016 we started discussions on the impact of orthopedic patients, on the Katherine Hospital,” Ms Kretschmer said. 

“The very busy emergency department was averaging ten to fifteen patients a week.”

“This week we saw five patients in the clinic, and the savings for the Katherine region on travel and accommodation alone was $1343,” she said.

“For patients it saved them having to be away from their families for two nights and three days.”

Anita O’Neil suffered fractures in her arm and leg after a nasty fall in December. 

“She initially went to see her GP who told her she would need to wait 12 months for a follow up and would need to travel to Darwin,” Ms Kretschmer said. 

“This was very distressing for her as she was in quite a lot of pain.

“She was unable to drive and the thought of catching a bus was causing her great anxiety,” she said. 

Ms O’Neil said she was told by a work colleague that the hospital was about to open a fracture clinic. 

“It was incredibly convenient, it meant that a lot of stress and anxiety was alleviated,” Ms O’Neil said. 

“What was fantastic was how well integrated the plan was, I visited the clinic three times and had the same doctor three times. 

“The continuity of care was fantastic, it was so well organised which gave me so much confidence,” she said. 

Ms O’Neil said the weekly clinic was an asset to the Katherine community. 

“The doctor in Darwin had complete visual access to my leg, there was no impediment to my care,” she said. 

Ms Kretschmer said the clinic would reduce patient impacts on the emergency department and improve patient wait time. 

She said residents seeking specialist appointments in Darwin would spend a while on waiting lists. 

“There is a big wait time, it is huge really,” Ms Kretschmer said. 

“With the ever growing need of orthopedic care in the Katherine region, the fracture clinic is destined to grow and with this improve our patients experience.”