Laughter is the best medicine for one VGH patient
Delivering quality care to a patient with a severed EPL tendon is just another day — or night — at our VGH Emergency Department. 
But what if we deliver a few jokes along with a dressing or consult, too? The difference for one patient is “awesome”! But we’ll let him tell his story in his own words:
To the management at VGH:
It was with ample gratitude and amazement that I checked out of VGH Emergency after receiving treatment on the night of Wednesday November 14, 2012. I had checked-in at approximately 7pm with a laceration to my hand, which was later diagnosed as a completely severed EPL tendon.
I knew immediately after accidentally cutting my hand that this was a serious injury. The pain was ok (it was a very clean cut), but I was worried sick that I had done some real damage to the hand which helps me earn a living and enjoy an active lifestyle.
The nurses who checked me in and first assessed my injury and applied a dressing were friendly and professional. We shared jokes and I immediately felt reassured.
After being admitted to a treatment room, a medical student (my apologies that his name escapes me) came to clean and examine the wound. Again, he was friendly, professional and reassuring. He cracked a few jokes and even had me laughing when the first local anesthetic was being injected directly into the wound. It was quite unnerving not to be able to move my thumb when instructed to do so, but this student made me feel like I was in the best possible care.
When the attending doctor (again apologies for forgetting names) arrived to examine my hand, he was also extremely professional yet very friendly. More jokes were exchanged and the doctor deemed my injury qualified for a plastic surgeon.
The student surgeon (Brittany?) was again super professional, friendly and best of all reassuring. When the surgeon arrived (Dr. Sikora . . . luckily her name is on my prescription bottles), the two functioned like a well drilled team. They talked me through what they were going to do and all the while kept up great conversation, which kept me reassured and calm. They even kept my fiancee engaged (no pun intended) by giving her little tasks. I’m not sure if it was intentional, but it worked to reduce her worry. As the operation progressed, the surgeons had us very interested in the procedure, in plastic surgery in general, and kept us very reassured. The visiting (from Australia) head plastic surgeon also popped in and supervised the actual reconnection of the EPL. Again, he was professional yet very friendly and gave me the impression that my injury was the most important thing going on at that moment. I felt like a pro athlete whose injury was of the utmost importance to the most talented surgeons.
Since the injury, I’ve been forced to adopt a full time managerial role at work, whereas before I was on the tools most of the time, which has required some urgent restructuring to keep my company going. I’ve also been unable to maintain my involvement in sports and volunteering for a while, which is a little frustrating. However, I am absolutely grateful for this experience. It is incredible that my hand was put back together in one evening and even more incredible how well cared for I was. After leaving VGH that night, all I could think of is that I want my customers to feel this well cared for.
Everyone who attended to my injury needs to know they did an awesome job!! They turned a bad experience into a positive experience.