- Treating Pain
- What We Do
- Your First Visit
- What To Expect
I Am a:
- Patient
- Caregiver
- Medical Professional
Once the patient is in the recovery room, they will be required to wait there until the doctor says it is safe for them to leave. In general, most people must wait for at least twenty minutes. There is no upper limit on the time the patient must wait. They will only be allowed to leave once the Medical Staff says it is safe to do so.
After the procedure is complete there will be coffee, tea, water, and cookies provided at the patient’s request. Many people fast before their procedure and need food energy to recover. The Rothbart Centre only provides refreshments to patients, not to caregivers. Caregivers, drivers, friends and family members must supply their own refreshments. A receptionist can direct you to a café or restaurant nearby.
Some of the medications applied during diagnosis or treatment may leave the patient in a condition that makes travel difficult. If the patient has received treatment or medication that could impair them, do not allow them to drive home. Even if the patient insists that they are okay to drive, the word of the physician is final. The Rothbart Centre For Pain Care has a zero tolerance policy when it comes to impaired driving.
The definition of Impaired Driving provided by the Ontario Ministry Of Transportation is driving when alcohol or drugs affect your ability. Impaired Driving is a crime and you can be convicted under the Criminal Code of Canada.
In general drugs and alcohol can cause a state of impairment. Fatigue and stress can also contribute to a state of impairment. Certain medical treatments and medications can cause a state of impairment. If the patient plans on driving, ask the doctor if the treatment will cause a state of impairment.
Ask the doctor about the side effects of any medication that is administered during treatment or that the patient is currently taking.
Read the information on the packaging of any medication the patient is taking. Discuss the side effects of the medication with the doctor.
If the patient drinks, ask the doctor about any side effects that may arise from combinations of drugs and or alcohol.
Evaluate the patient’s condition. If they are not feeling well, tell the doctor immediately. If they are unable to drive, seek an alternate form of transportation.
Alcohol and drugs contribute to a state of impairment. If the patient has been consuming alcohol and or drugs they should not attempt to operate a motor vehicle.
Fatigue and stress also contribute to a state of impairment. If the patient is under stress, tired, fatigued, has not slept, or has been fasting, they may be considered to be impaired.
The legal, public, and personal safety risks involved in impaired driving are very serious. If there is any doubt as to the patient’s ability to drive do not allow them to operate a motor vehicle.
Ontario has some of the toughest impaired driving laws in North America. Anyone caught driving while impaired may face immediate license suspension, fines, mandatory alcohol education and treatment, vehicle impoundment, and the ignition interlock program.
If the doctor tells the patient that they cannot drive or operate a motor vehicle after the procedure, the doctor’s word is final. The patient will be verbally warned not to drive and will be informed that they must find an alternate form of transportation to get home.
If the patient arrives for treatment without a safe means of transportation for the trip home, the treatment will be cancelled and rescheduled on a date when a safe mode of transportation is available.
Clinic staff may attempt to help the patient secure transportation home in the case that they are not safe to drive home. The doctor will not allow the patient to drive until they are safe to do so.
The Criminal Code defines impaired driving offences in relation to having “care and control” of a motor vehicle, which is a much broader concept than driving. The Criminal Code goes so far as to deem a person to be in care and control of a vehicle if they are found to be occupying the driver’s seat.
This means for example, you could be convicted of impaired driving if a police officer found you sleeping in the driver’s seat of a parked car, even if you had not driven the vehicle or even placed the vehicle into the drive gear.
If an impaired patient is seen attempting to drive or operate a motor vehicle, the police will be called and the patient will be charged with impaired driving. The doctor and all clinic staff who are witness to this event will cooperate with the police.
Impaired driving is illegal and dangerous and will not be tolerated by the Rothbart Centre For Pain Care.
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