General Surgery

Department Establishment and Development

The General Surgery Department of Yueyang Hospital was originally called Western Medicine Surgery. When the hospital was founded in 1976, it had only full-time surgeons. At that time, in addition to treating common surgical diseases, the department also sent staff to Tangshan to support medical work in the earthquake-stricken area. In 1979, the Western Medicine Surgery Department was formally established, headed by Gao Shujun, with five physicians and eight beds. Although the workload was low at that time, the department actively expanded its services. It participated in the gastroenterology specialty outpatient clinic for gastritis of the gastric antrum, jointly developed a series of self-made gastric antrum gastritis granules, and opened biliary and urology outpatient clinics. However, the overall workload remained small, with no more than 10 operations performed per month at its peak. In the early 1990s, the hospital leadership set higher requirements for the development of Western Medicine Surgery. Therefore, Associate Chief Physician Hong Xixiang was transferred in to serve temporarily as director of the department, with the hope of further expanding the workload, enhancing its reputation, and promoting the overall development of the department. However, because the outpatient volume was low and emergency visits were even fewer at that time, expanding the services was extremely difficult. In 1993, after Tao Haiyan became director of Western Medicine Surgery, the hospital gradually developed and surgical services also steadily improved. The number of beds gradually increased to 21, the department staff increased to more than 10, and the number of operations also grew. The scope of services basically covered most common surgical diseases. In 1995, the hospital’s new site was completed and the hospital moved as a whole, with Tao Haiyan continuing as director. During his tenure, Director Tao expanded urological services in addition to general surgery, making unremitting efforts to stabilize the services and staffing of Western Medicine Surgery. During this period, the department had 46 beds, including urology beds, more than 10 physicians, and a 4-bed surgical intensive care unit (ICU). It also introduced a 24-hour emergency consultation system. In 1996, the hospital recruited Director Zhang Shenghua, bringing new development to the department’s services. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy was initiated, and since then laparoscopic minimally invasive surgery has served as the cornerstone of the department’s services, on the basis of which the scope of laparoscopic procedures has continued to expand. During that period, the department gradually acquired two laparoscopic systems, one choledochoscope, and other specialized equipment. The numbers of patients admitted and operations performed increased year by year, and the department’s reputation gradually grew. In 2002, with the development of subspecialization, Western Medicine Surgery was divided into the First Surgery Department and the Second Surgery Department. Urology and neurosurgery separated from Western Medicine Surgery; the Second Surgery Department was formed by neurosurgery and urology. Subsequently, as some specialties separated, Western Medicine Surgery was renamed General Surgery.

In 2001, in response to the needs of service development, the hospital recruited Associate Chief Physician Yan Zengrong, established a thoracic surgery group, and placed it under the General Surgery Department. The group undertook clinical teaching and research in thoracic surgery. After years of effort, the workload of thoracic surgery increased year by year. It developed from initially performing routine thoracic procedures such as surgery for lung cancer, esophageal cancer, and mediastinal tumors to performing major thoracic operations such as thoracoscopic surgery and pneumonectomy. The annual number of operations increased from a dozen or so at the beginning to several dozen, and more than 300 thoracic surgery patients were admitted annually. In particular, since 2006, when the thoracic surgery group appointed Chief Physician Tong Wenpu, former director of Thoracic Surgery at Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital and a renowned thoracic surgery expert, as its technical consultant, thoracic surgery has made substantial progress and developed distinctive expertise, especially in individualized integrated Chinese and Western medicine treatment for lung cancer. To a certain extent, this promoted improvements in the service capabilities of the hospital’s intensive care unit, Respiratory Medicine, Anesthesiology, Radiology, Pathology, and other related departments, and contributed to raising the hospital’s overall level.

By 2010, General Surgery, including thoracic surgery, had 17 physicians, of whom 9 were associate chief physicians or above, and 60% held master’s or doctoral degrees. There were nearly 80 beds, more than 1,800 discharges annually, approximately 200 admissions per month, and self-pay patients accounted for one-third. More than 1,500 operations were performed annually, with approximately 130 operations per month; major operations accounted for one-third. In addition to the general surgery outpatient clinic, there were specialist clinics and four subspecialty outpatient clinics, with 14,000 outpatient visits annually. Over the preceding 15 years, annual outpatient and emergency visits had increased by 700%, discharges by 300%, and surgical cases by 200%. The department had become the clinical department with the most beds, the highest number of admissions, and the greatest surgical volume. Its scope encompassed a complete clinical discipline integrating clinical care, medical education, and medical research.

Introduction to the General Surgery and Urology Nursing Team

The General Surgery and Urology Nursing Team is a young, energetic, highly educated, and highly professional nursing team. At present, the department has 26 nurses, including 3 charge nurses and 10 nurses; 1 is a member of the Communist Party of China, 6 are star-rated nurses, and 6 are Party membership activists/applicants. Seven have bachelor’s degrees and 19 have junior college qualifications. The team received the titles of Shanghai Health System Advanced Collective for 2000–2002, Yueyang Advanced Collective for 2003, the hospital’s first Warm Ward title for 2004, Women’s Civilized Post for 2006, Advanced Collective in the Hospital Management Year for 2007, Excellent Learning-Oriented Department of Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine for 2008, and Quality Service Award of Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine for 2009. Members of the department received the titles of Excellent Clinical Teaching Instructor of Yueyang Clinical Medical College in 2005 and 2006, Outstanding Nurse of Hongkou District in 2007, and Excellent Nursing Manager of Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine in 2008. In 2011, they received the titles of Outstanding Party Member of Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Model of Medical Ethics in the Initiative to Excel of Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The General Surgery and Urology Nursing Team emphasizes cultivating research awareness and is adept at summarizing nursing experience. It has published five papers and received funding for one research project.

Surgical nursing is characterized by many emergency cases, critically ill patients, resuscitations, nursing treatments, and high work intensity. In addition, because surgical diseases are affected by trauma, anesthesia, and surgery, patients’ conditions are complex and changeable. Therefore, higher demands are placed on the overall competence of surgical nurses. In our work, all nursing personnel provide attentive service and treat people sincerely. For newly admitted patients, nurses provide the Eight Ones: one greeting, one smile, one cup of hot water, one patient admission orientation, one accurate admission assessment, one comprehensive health education session, one warm contact card, and one clean hospital bed. For inpatients, professional nurses explain in detail the causes, examinations, treatment, diet, and prevention of their diseases, and provide guidance on rehabilitation exercises. For discharged patients, we conduct scheduled telephone follow-up, with a follow-up rate of 95%, and provide rehabilitation guidance. Based on the physical, psychological, social, and cultural needs of general surgery patients, all nursing personnel in the department place human health at the center and provide patients with continuous, comprehensive, and high-quality nursing services. Our nursing work has expanded from the simple provision of treatment assistance in the past to preventive health care, and the service scope has also expanded to families and communities. We strive to play an important role in disease prevention, the promotion and maintenance of health, and the improvement of people’s quality of life. Through our high-quality nursing services, we will ensure that patients are satisfied and families feel reassured!