Multidisciplinary approach streamlining care
Dr Angelo Rando
Onsite rehabilitation and direct communication with therapists is streamlining patient care and giving orthopaedic surgeon Angelo Rando the ability to develop, individualise and modify treatment plans without delay to optimise results.
The Gold Coast Private upper limb surgeon has the longest-standing multidisciplinary team on the Coast with his hand therapist of 13 years and a physiotherapy team to look after his shoulder patients.
"Surgery is just one aspect of dealing with a problem and while the technique and procedure is paramount to a good result, the rehab is essential in optimising outcomes," said Dr Rando.
"Having direct communication and collaboration with my therapists allows us to accelerate rehab wherever possible to give early return to function, work and lifestyle.
"Sometimes, this process could otherwise take weeks by the time an external therapist has asked the patient to go back to the surgeon, creating long delays in treatment.”
Dr Rando said he gave his therapists in-depth knowledge of the surgery and patient's anatomy, giving them greater insight into what the patient could tolerate.
"Usually the only information the therapist gets is the type of surgery the patient has had, but in my practice the therapists have been involved in the patient's care since the beginning and have had a thorough brief from me post surgery," he said.
"Our rehab is goal-orientated so we also discuss what is important to the patient - be it pain relief over functional gain or return to work and sports."
Dr Rando said the other advantage of his multidisciplinary approach was the streamlined nature of his patient care.
"Our model helps in triaging patients as my therapists can provide bulk-billed assessments and organise investigations in advance so I've got all the information gathered and can usually make a decision on the day they see me and start treatment immediately," he said.
"My hand therapist from Active Hand Therapy and physiotherapist from Physio Next Door can also come into Gold Coast Private post-op and see patients on the ward before discharge to make any splints or casts, and can initiate rehabilitation early, saving them costs and another trip to the rooms."
Dr Rando also deals with complex and multi-injured patients and specialises in complex ligamentous injuries of the wrist for which he is often requested to give a second opinion.
For more information contact:
Gold Coast Hand & Upper Limb Clinic
Level 2 - Building G
Southport Central
27 Garden Street, Southport
T: 07 5526 4488
F: 07 5526 4402
W: www.gchulc.com.au