We’ve seen television shows like ER glamourize the life of an emergency room physician. Depicting a scene of coordinated chaos in which everything – more or less – always goes according to plan. But the reality is much different. From minor cuts and bruises to traumatic life and death situations, ER physicians never know what will come through the doors. Every shift and every patient is like a game of chance.
Therefore, ER doctors must be prepared for all situations and be able to function under some of the most extreme circumstances – all while performing at the top of their game.
When we think of health care – data is not the first thing that comes to mind. However, many physicians would likely agree that data is integral to evaluating and improving the delivery of health care.
It’s no surprise that it is important to keep a laser-focus on quality and safety to ensure patient care is maintained and enhanced.
When we pass by a school or park and see children playing, it is very difficult to think of these healthy, happy little people as ever becoming ill. Unfortunately they do, which is why we have a Pediatric specialty. The word “paediatrics” literally means “healer of children”.
When the first round of SSC Quality and Innovation Initiative funding became available, Drs Jonathan Down and Gudrun Aubertin knew what they wanted to do. Both Victoria-based physicians, Dr. Down, a developmental pediatrician and Dr. Aubertin, a clinical geneticist saw a great need to develop a multidisciplinary Fragile X and Related Conditions Clinic.
Our ability to hear, to speak, to smell or to swallow are senses that many can take for granted. But imagine losing the ability to hear a child’s laughter or to smell your favourite foods. While perhaps not life threatening, such things can significantly affect our ability to enjoy even life’s simplest pleasures.
The new Physician Master Agreement (PMA) has brought something original to Canada. Funding that enables facility-based doctors to be more effectively engaged to contribute their voice in Health Authority decisions. The goal of this new funding is to seek collaboration on mutually agreed upon priorities that improve patient care and the health care system. The Specialist Services Committee has the responsibility of overseeing this initiative and distributing funding.
Probably no other speciality relies more on its multidisciplinary teams than Infectious Diseases (ID), from health care workers to housekeepers. “We need cohesive care teams to address complex global infectious disease challenges,” says Dr Dwight Ferris, President of the BC Infectious Diseases Society, “not act simply as a local resource but as a global community.” According to Dr Ferris, the biggest challenge facing the speciality today is globalization. “Worldwide pandemics develop quickly, and what happens on the other side of the world can easily affect us here in BC.”
An important part of SSC’s work includes supporting and growing specialist’s quality and innovation (Q&I) ideas. This work has been going on for more than two years. Initially, $8 million funded about 20 Q&I projects, and now $15 million is available for another round of Q&I projects.
With SSC’s goal for perioperative improvements, the implementation of a provincial Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) Collaborative is underway. The Collaborative aims to build ERAS capacity throughout BC’s surgical programs with a focus on elective colorectal surgery.
ERAS protocols are multi-modal perioperative care pathways designed to achieve early recovery after surgical procedures by maintaining pre-operative organ function and reducing the profound stress response following surgery.
The Hip Fracture Redesign project began in eight pilot sites and is now being extended to all acute care centre who provide hip fracture care.
Published in the Vancouver Sun October 23, 2014
Talking to your doctor isn’t always easy. Difficult or personal topics can be challenging to discuss, yet are crucial to identify health and lifestyle concerns that might need immediate attention.
This is especially true for youth and adolescents, who are often uncomfortable sharing personal details with adults.
Dr. Sandy Whitehouse, former medical director of the emergency department at B.C. Children’s Hospital and a clinical associate professor at the University of B.C., has experienced and researched the communication challenges between youth and health care providers.
If you are a specialist who has adopted an Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system – you should know about a new time-bound opportunity for additional support being offered through the Specialist Services Committee.
The EMR Funding and Post-Implementation Support offers additional funding of $3,000 per physician. In addition, there is training and technology support for you and your administrative staff, which can include Medical Office Assistant (MOA) Learning Sessions, physician and MOA peer mentor support, EMR User Group meetings, and specialized technical support. The funding and support is only available until March 2015, and you must apply to participate by the end of November.
Dr Jack Taunton was inducted this year into the BC Sports Hall of Fame. In the 1970’s, Sports Medicine was a rare specialty and one of its leading lights was Dr Jack Taunton. In 1977, Dr Taunton and fellow practitioner, Dr Doug Clement established Vancouver’s first sports medicine clinic, which eventually became the Allan McGavin Sports Medicine Centre.
In Port Hardy a patient sits in a comfortable chair in a sound-proof room with a psychiatric nurse or mental health worker; both are staring at a small screen. Soon the screen lights up and a psychiatrist in Victoria appears on the screen ready to engage.
Every year almost 4000 older adults find themselves in emergency rooms with a fractured hip. These hip fractures are increasing by about 2% every year because of a large cohort of aging baby boomers. The Hip Fracture Redesign Project, one of the Quality and Innovation Initiatives sponsored by SSC, is implementing processes to provide optimal hip fracture care.
General surgery is like an umbrella – it covers surgeons with the skills, knowledge and familiarity to treat a broad spectrum of conditions. On any given day, a general surgeon could save the life of a car accident victim, repair a ruptured appendix or operate on someone with cancer.
Dr. Michael Ertel has been practicing medicine for over 25 years. He’s a physician with a focused practice in Emergency medicine in Kelowna. Since his initial training, Ertel has seen younger ER doctors with enhanced skills in ultrasound use, airway management and simulation training. Being a life-long learner, he wanted to be properly trained in these skills. He also thought other doctors would be interested, too.
In April, SSC dedicated $15 million to fund specialist-led ideas in quality and innovation. The call for ideas went out through an Expression of Interest (EOI). And BC specialists didn’t disappoint. SSC received over 300 ideas – a total value of $177 million. The EOI submissions came from specialists within all health regions.