PATIENT EXPERIENCE: EQUIPMENT
This year we invested $2.0M in our world class health system by replacing critical medical imaging equipment to ensure patients with consistent access.
A computerized tomography (CT) scanner is a type of imaging device used to detect injury or disease and guide minimally invasive procedures. It uses X-ray images and computer technology to create detailed images of the inside of a patient body, including their bones, organs and soft tissue. At Grand River Hospital CT scans are commonly a part of both inpatient and outpatient care, including cancer, emergency, and stroke care, as we are the site of Waterloo Region's regional stroke program.
Computer Tomography (CT) scanners, which can typically operate for 10 years before they need to be replaced have a finite life cycle. And while our government funds the expenses associated with a hospital’s day-to-day operations, like supplies and staff, hospitals and the communities they serve are also responsible for certain costs, like medical equipment, and associated renovation or construction costs. This new CT scanner which offers more precise imaging and a reduced radiation dose, is actually a replacement for a previous scanner from 2005 that had reached the end of its life cycle, and is one of two CT Scanners that the Grand River Hospital has.
Having two fully operational CT scanners also allows us to offer more imaging services and treatment options locally, improving access and wait times, so patients don’t have to travel to cities in other regions — like Mississauga or Hamilton — to receive these services.
In addition to performing scans that help us detect injury and disease, CT scanners can also be used to guide minimally invasive procedures, such as biopsies, fluid drainage, and tumour ablation. These procedures are less invasive alternatives to traditional surgeries, and at Grand River, we perform CT-guided procedures that can’t be done anywhere else in Waterloo Region.
