Department of Anaesthesiology and Operating Theatre Services
Introduction
Kwong Wah Hospital was founded in 1911, and it was the first hospital in Kowloon providing medical care to the Chinese. Surgical procedure could be dated back to the early 1930s', whereas, the “ operating room” (割症房) was located next to the Tung Wah Museum. It was not an exact operation room but just a small room with very simple equipment and lighting. In the early years, anaesthesia was not given by anaesthesiologist but surgeons with experience in anaesthesia.
The main clinical block which was built in 1965. Over the past 50 years, there have been a number of major relocation and refurbishment of the operating theatres to meet the growing demand and to collaborate with the development of other surgical specialities and services. The operating rooms have been keeping up with the latest medical technologies in equipment purchase in order to enhance quality and safety. At present, the operating theatres are located on the 5th, 7th and 9th floor of the main block with a total of 9 operating rooms.
To the public, operating theatre may be a highly confidential area and a secret place. The department is to focus on patient safety, smooth operation and strict infection control.
The operating theatre is a very big family with around 30 anaesthesiologists, 90 nurses and 40 supporting staffs. All OT staffs are well trained and take up their specific professional roles and cooperate with the surgeons as a team for every operation, major or minor.
Over 10000 operations are performed each year and the majority under general or regional anaesthesia in the Operating Theatre.
The department has generous support by the Tung Wah Group and the Hospital Authority to equip with latest technologies and advanced medical facilities for patient benefit. For daily clinical practice, the most updated international guidelines/ recommendations are being practised by the medical and nursing professionals.
From disinfection processes, anaesthetic techniques, surgical procedures to post-anaesthetic care, the department aims at high standard of services and has been awarded with the ISO 9001 Quality Management System Certification since 2006.
The Department of Anaesthesiology in Kwong Wah Hospital is an accredited training centre of both the Hong Kong College of Anaesthesiologists and the Australian & New Zealand College of Anaesthetists.
Dr Liu Tak Chiu John, Chief of Service, leads the department and is the Vice-President of the Hong Kong College of Anaesthesiologists.
The Pain Relief Centre was established in 1996, providing acute and chronic pain consultations and interventional pain procedures. The Pain Patient Support Group was founded in 2002 to support rehabilitation of chronic pain patients.
The outpatient Pre-anaesthetic Consultation Service (PAS) was commenced in 2008. PAS could help to arrange early preoperative assessment and anaesthetic planning. Patient could be admitted on the date of operation. This could significantly relieve patient’s stress before operation and minimize the duration of hospitalization. The service has resulted in higher patient satisfaction and better anaesthetic outcome.
The first phase of the reconstruction of KWH will be started in 2016 and there are many challenges to all departments. The operating theatre has been well prepared and will continue to provide the best care. The new operating theatre complex (Phase 1) will be completed around 2019/2020 and both the qualities and quantities of the operating services will be enhanced in the near future.
