Dartmouth General Hospital team sets Atlantic Canada joint replacement record

This holiday season, seven more hip replacement patients are on the road to improved mobility, comfort, and quality of life, after a record-breaking number of these surgeries were completed by a Dartmouth General Hospital team last week.

Innovating and collaborating to provide patients better access to the quality care they need is nothing new for teams with Dartmouth General Hospital’s Fred Smithers Centre for Orthopedic Care. They were the first in Nova Scotia to offer partial knee replacements and total joint replacement surgeries on an outpatient basis (no overnight stay), completed the province’s first robotics assisted total hip replacement surgery and set their newest record this month — becoming the first orthopedic team in Atlantic Canada, and among the first teams in Canada, to complete seven hip replacement surgeries in a single operating room in one day.  

“This is an exceptional outcome and a clear demonstration of what is possible through thoughtful planning, experience, and teamwork,” said Dr. Scott Mawdsley, surgical site lead at Dartmouth General Hospital.  

An experienced surgical team including orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Jhase Sniderman, anesthetist, Dr. Brian Norman, skilled surgical nurses (learn about perioperative nursing) and others completed the surgeries between 7:45 a.m. and 5 p.m. They were supported by medical device reprocessing staff and extra environmental services staff who ensured surgical instruments were at the ready and faster turnover of the operating room between patients.

On a typical day, surgical teams at this and other orthopedic surgery locations across the province complete about three to five surgeries within a block of operating room time. The number of surgeries can vary due to factors such as the type and complexity of procedures and patient needs.

“A special shout out and thank you to Dr. Sniderman, whose leadership, efficiency, and clinical expertise were central to making this day such a success,” said Mawdsley, who noted that Dartmouth General Hospital often functions as a living lab, allowing teams to trial new concepts, implement operational improvements rapidly, and learn in real time.

“This was a great example of what we can do as a team in Dartmouth. We optimized our resources to deliver safe and efficient care,” said Sniderman.

Nova Scotia has made it a top priority to increase surgical volumes, to help clear backlogs and reduce wait times. Last year a Nova Scotia team visited Ontario’s Humber River facility, learning some of their approaches to increase surgical volumes, including high-efficiency, high throughput surgeries in areas like joint replacements.

“We’ve challenged our teams to meet ambitious goals and are proud to see them stepping up time and time again to find new ways to improve access and care,” said Eileen MacGibbon, Central Zone, Vice President of Operations for Nova Scotia Health. “This is the latest in a growing list of achievements that will spark further innovation and more efficient, timely care for the patients who rely on us.”

Earlier this year, Nova Scotia Heath’s surgical waitlist reached a 10-year low, with year-over-year increases in surgical volumes over the past three years, a dramatic drop in long waiters (patients waiting more than a year) and more patients having surgery within wait time targets. In fact, a 2025 Canadian Institute for Health Information report showed Nova Scotia was making  encouraging progress improving surgical wait times ranking in the top three provinces in Canada for hip and knee joint replacements completed within benchmarks. The province also tied for first place for cataract surgeries completed with the national benchmark.

A combination of factors has driven these gains, including investments in people, equipment, infrastructure, technology, and partnerships, alongside initiatives like the move to a digital central intake model for surgical referrals, and a new surgical booking model.

Background:

• Since 2015 Dartmouth General Hospital has been supporting some partial knee replacement patients to return home the same day as their surgery (outpatient joint replacement), helping patients avoid often unwanted, unnecessary and costly hospital stays, and freeing up beds for others who need care.
• In 2018 Nova Scotia Health launched a wellness model for joint replacement patients that focusses on providing patients with exercise and education programs ahead of surgery, and helping them mobilize early and often after surgery, to support their recovery. Supported by orthopedic assessment clinics and other team members, the model has helped Nova Scotia reduce the time patients spend in hospital and significantly increase the number of patients who have outpatient joint replacement surgeries.
• Dartmouth General Hospital became the first Nova Scotia Health hospital to complete an outpatient total knee replacement in 2018, paving the way for further growth. Before COVID-19 (2019-2020), just 85 patients had outpatient joint replacements, all within Halifax and Dartmouth. These numbers have been climbing each year and reached nearly 1400 cases in 2024-2025, with outpatient joint replacements occurring in all regions.
• In 2019-2020, joint replacement volumes reached a high of 4,408 patients, before dropping to 2,885 during the pandemic (2021-2022). Volumes have climbed since then, exceeding pre-COVID-19 volumes in each of the past two years, and reaching a high of 4,822 cases in 2024-2025. 

Photo contributed by the office of the Honourable Tim Halman, Minister of Service Efficiency and MLA, Dartmouth East. 

Dr. Jhase Sniderman (back row, 4th from left), Dr. Scott Mawdsley, (back row, 5th from left), Dr. Brian Norman (back row, 2nd from right) and other surgical team members and support staff are joined by Stephen Harding, CEO, Dartmouth General Hospital Foundation (back row, 1st from left) and Minister Halman (back row, 2nd from left).