A chance meeting with a Cairns Hospital doctor at a GP clinic has allowed a Yorkeys Knob retiree to recover from a serious leg injury in the comfort of his own home.
Kevin Kearney, 74, developed cellulitis in his leg after a fall at home in July.
His cellulitis was not responding to oral antibiotics and regular dressings, so his GP recommended he attend Cairns Hospital’s Emergency Department for intravenous antibiotics.
However, Cairns Hospital doctor, Dr Carmon Guy - who is the Clinical Director of the Hospital in the Home (HITH) program - also works at Kevin’s GP clinic and was asked to review Kevin at the GP clinic.
‘I reviewed Kevin with his GP, Dr Judy Wu, and advised him he would be suitable for a direct admission to HITH,’ she said.
‘Two hours later we were assessing him in the new clinical assessment area at Cairns Hospital, Medical Ambulatory Care Unit (MACU), and onboarding him to the HITH service.
‘He was very pleased to avoid an admission through the Emergency Department and be able to return home to continue his treatment.’
Kevin said he was cannulated and fitted with a portable IV unit containing antibiotics before he returned to Yorkeys Knob.
The HITH nursing staff attended his home each day for the next three days to deliver more antibiotics.
‘I’ve never needed to be admitted to hospital before, and for this I would have been on an IV, on my back in hospital for three days,’ he said.
‘It felt like winning the lottery when Carmon happened to be on the spot at the right time.
‘It’s just the mental side of being at home rather than being in a strange place. I was spared all of that.’
It was also a relief for Kevin’s wife and son who were no longer required to chauffeur Kevin to and from the GP clinic while his wound was being treated.
He needed a few more dressing changes at his GP after his HITH admission, but the wound is now fully recovered.
Hospital in the Home will launch a ‘Direct GP Referral to HITH’ trial in November.
This project is a collaboration between HITH and three local general practices to support other patients like Kevin.
If successful, this referral pathway will be available to all General Practitioners in the Cairns catchment.
Read more information about Hospital in the Home.