AADO Asian Fellowship Programme 2009
Final Report from Dr. J Nishant
09 Feb - 03 Mar 2009

It is a report from Dr. J Nishant, one of the successful applicants of AADO Asian Fellowship Programme in Queen Elizabeth Hospital at Hong Kong, who had a visit there on 09 Feb - 03 Mar 2009.

At the outset, I must express my gratitude and appreciation for Dr Shen for accepting me for the AADO Asian Fellowship Program February – March 2009 at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) at Kowloon, Hong Kong. I applied for this fellowship program mainly after hearing about the tremendous work being done by Dr Shen and his team on dynamic Osteosynthesis and state-of-the-art management of fractures especially with nails.
The first day, I was little apprehensive about the new place. However such thoughts were short lived as Dr Shen despite being so busy completely made me at ease. His gentle demeanor and caring attitude are exemplary. This is also evident in his care for his patients whom he treats with compassion and a lot of patience. His expertise is unquestionably world class as I realized soon enough.
The day began every morning at 8 AM sharp with highly informative ward rounds, almost like grand rounds, discussing new admissions where Dr. Shen discussed everything from preoperative planning to which surgery to be performed to which type of implant to be used and also the anticipated problems during and after the surgery, in each case. The operation days were really the days I used to look forward to as that’s where all the action used to unfold under the watchful eyes of Dr Shen and his wonderfully gifted and sincere team.
Most patients here were in the geriatric age group presenting mostly with fractures of the hip and lower limbs. This was very different from what I saw In India where most common presentation was post traumatic (Road traffic accidents). Prior planning and a superbly gelled out supporting staff who helps the surgeons to perform upto 7-9 surgeries per day. This is simply mind boggling as such difficult surgeries are being done in most efficient way with such swiftness every single day.
The biggest impact that this exposure had on me was on my approach to a patient. It changed my perception and focus from surgery to the patient. I learnt that planning is the most important stepping stone to a successful execution of the surgery. Exposure to the latest nails,   and all types of geriatric injuries and trauma surgeries was the highlight of this program. Dr. Shen’s OPD was mostly flooded by the elderly individuals and handling them patiently and explaining each and every detail at length in an easy and friendly manner was a treat to watch. Though language was a barrier in understanding the history but the  doctors and staff would frequently translate the jist of the presenting history and their own assessment.
Academic meetings were conducted every Tuesdays and Thursday where presentation on  current trends, biomechanics of implants and fixation and literature  were talked about.
Dr. Shen is a generous teacher too and the hospitality offered by him and his team were heart warming. I was very blessed to have had this opportunity to work as a Trauma Fellow at Queen Elizabeth Hospital under Dr. Shen. His great team of doctors like  Dr. KB Lee, Dr. Ivan, Dr. Norman,  Dr.Gary, Dr. Wong, Dr. Edmund and other colleagues  are exemplary in Trauma care and undoubtedly among the best in the world. Thanks to all for making my trip so comfortable and memorable.
I would also like to thank Mrs. Kellan Cheung and Ms. Terry who helped me from here in getting through necessary procedure from getting Visa to make arrangements for my stay and made things so simple and easy for me.

I was a privilege and an honor to be here and of having experienced the sheer class in this field. My sincere thanks to AADO for choosing me for this program.

Dr. J Nishant