North Island Hospital Hip and Knee Centre

The North Island Hospital Hip and Knee Centre, located at both the Comox Valley and Campbell River campuses of the North Island Hospital, provides assessment, education and pre and post surgery support for total joint replacement. We serve the Comox Valley, Campbell River, Courtenay, Strathcona, and Mount Waddington areas.

Please note the North Island Hospital Hip and Knee Centre cannot accept referrals for patients who:

• Need more surgery on previous hip and knee replacements
• Are covered by WorkSafe BC
• Need emergency procedures

Choosing a Surgeon

You have options for which surgeon will do your surgery. You are welcome to review these options and make the decision with your primary care provider before you are referred to the North Island Hospital Hip and Knee Centre.

The option you choose may affect your wait time before surgery.

Your options are:

• The first available appropriate surgeon at either Campbell River or Comox Valley hospital. This option will often result in shorter wait times.
• The first available appropriate surgeon at the hospital closest to where you live (in Campbell River or Comox Valley).
• A specific surgeon who you want to do the surgery, from the list below. Please note that the wait time may be longer if you choose this option.

The surgeons who may perform your surgery are:

Your North Island Hospital Hip and Knee Centre team:

Through a process which may start weeks to months before your surgery, the health care professionals who will support you at the Hip and Knee Centre include:

• Your Nurse Navigator: will take a thorough a health history, conduct health screening for surgical risk factors, organize pre-operative tests or referrals, and provide you with pre-operative teaching on how to physically prepare for surgery. They will help you “navigate” through your care journey and address any questions you may have.
• Your Booking Clerk: supports scheduling interviews and follow up appointments with your nurse navigator and physiotherapist, and schedules pre-operative teaching classes. They are part of a team that supports communication between the surgeon, medical specialists, the hospital teams and your primary care provider
• Your Physiotherapist: advises you on how to prepare for the surgery, including how to set up your home. They may help you order equipment, provide demonstrations on how to use equipment and how to move safely after surgery. They will also help you improve you physical activity level and to get the impaired joint in a better shape through exercises so that you may have a better recovery.
• Your Advanced Care Provider: is a medical doctor with additional orthopedic education. The advanced care provider will assess you, and discuss the options available to you.
• Your Orthopaedic Surgeon: conducts your initial consultation, performs the total joint replacement surgery and sees you for follow-up.

When you meet with a surgeon, he or she will confirm that surgery is right for you and talk more with you about the surgery.

Please write down any questions you have about the surgery, and bring them to this appointment.

Patient Journey

You can also view a diagram of your journey at the Hip and Knee Centre, which shows you everything from your visit with your primary care provider through to recovery.

How to get a Referral

Your primary care provider (e.g., family doctor, nurse practitioner) needs to complete a referral form and send it to the Hip and Knee Centre to get you an appointment with us.

We will review the referral and phone you to arrange an assessment. At this assessment we will make sure you are fit for surgery and ask you some questions. This will help the surgeon decide if surgery is right for you, or if there are other treatments that are better for you.

Average Service Wait Time

Knowing how long the wait is for hip or knee replacement surgery might help you decide if you want surgery, or which option to choose for who does the surgery.

Check the BC Surgical Wait Times Website to get an idea of how long it might take to get your surgery done.

Patient Education & Rehabilitation Resources

Access exercises, information and resources to support you before, during, and after surgery on this page.

Additional Resources

Fetch; For Everything That's Community Health Nanaimo Region, incl Duncan, Parksville, Port Alberni
bc211 Community Services Directory
Red Cross Equipment Loan Cupboard
Veterans Affairs Canada
Community Nutrition
Home Support Services
Physiotherapy Association of BC
For Patients and Visitors