The Specialist Services Committee (SSC) hosted the inaugural PCAN Summit on November 20, 2023, uniting 136 health professionals from across British Columbia to explore pre-operative care optimization.
Presenters at the summit discussed many pressing issues in pre-operative care, focusing on the urgent need for innovation in surgical preparation and optimization. They highlighted the benefits of utilizing surgical wait times for patients to improve their mental and physical health prior to entering the operating room. This additional “prep time” would allow for improved surgical outcomes and an overall better experience.
The Summit aimed to:
- Share the latest advancements and collaborative strategies in pre-operative care
- Provide attendees with a platform for sharing experiences, insights, and innovative practices in the field
- Highlight the significance of integrating prehabilitation into patient care to enhance surgical outcomes
- Leverage the Preoperative Clinical Action Network to share, collaborate, and support surgical improvements throughout BC
- Showcase successful models of pre-operative care, particularly emphasizing the integration of technology and teamwork in improving patient journeys
- To outline the Ministry of Health’s surgical priorities—namely, to provide timely surgical access by having the right volume of operating room time, in the right place, at the right time, and to improve surgical capacity—and key results they hope to accomplish over the coming years
UK Innovations Spark Action
One of the Summit's most compelling sessions featured detailed discussions on the pre-operative care models implemented in the UK, particularly spotlighting the successes at Southampton Hospital. These discussions not only highlighted innovative approaches to prehabilitation but also set a precedent for what could be achieved in British Columbia. The insights shared by UK-based speakers provided practical examples of how integrated care teams significantly enhance patient outcomes, emphasizing the need for a similar collaborative approach in local healthcare settings.
Ministry of Health Engagement
A significant aspect of the Summit was the active participation of representatives from the Ministry of Health. These discussions brought to light the issues within British Columbia's healthcare system, with ministry officials acknowledging the challenges and expressing a commitment to address them. The dialogue between healthcare professionals and policy makers was pointed and productive, centering on developing actionable strategies for overcoming the identified barriers to effective pre-operative care.
“The first annual PCAN Summit was a great experience,” said Laicy Ball, Director of Surgical Services for the Ministry of Health. “Together with Doctors of BC, the Ministry highlighted the provincial surgical priorities and heard from passionate providers who are eager to start identifying innovative solutions that will change the way we deliver surgeries in B.C.”
She added that she “looks forward to contributing as the PCAN Advisory Committee Co-Chair” and reinforced the Ministry’s commitment for supporting physicians in this work.
Emphasizing Collaboration
Many attendees welcomed inter-professional collaboration at the Summit. A patient partner described the event as “a means to drive systemic improvements”.
Attendees, including anesthesiologists, surgeons, internal medicine, family physicians, patients, and allied health, shared insights and strategies from their diverse experiences, fostering a multidisciplinary approach to healthcare reform.
Commitment to Action
As the Summit concluded, there was a unanimous call for immediate action on several fronts: the integration of advanced technology in patient pre-op care, streamlining surgical wait times, and addressing the critical shortage of healthcare professionals. The discussions led to innovative ideas of the strategies to improve efficiency and outcomes in surgical care.
The discussions and the commitments made by both health care professionals and ministry representatives at the inaugural PCAN Summit, signal a hopeful direction for the future of pre-operative care in the province. The actionable insights and collaborative spirit fostered at the Summit have the potential to catalyze meaningful improvements in surgical care delivery, with a focus on patient-centered outcomes and system-wide efficiency.