A novel model for a hub-and-spoke spinal service and improvements in the treatment of spinal pathology in a rural hospital setting.

CONCLUSIONS:   This novel approach improves support for existing trauma and orthopaedic surgery departments, increases commissioned facilities within the rural hospital setting and improves the care received on a more local level by patients developing spinal pathologies. This subspecialty service was previously only available within the more central, large city-based hub hospital. After the introduction of a subspecialty spine service, facilities within this spoke rural hospital have increased and access to these services is more available locally to the rural community. This has improved patient care dramatically. PMID: 29241339 [PubMed - in process]
Source: Rural and Remote Health - Category: Rural Health Tags: Rural Remote Health Source Type: research