Family Medicine Residency Site: Abbotsford-Mission

What measures have been taken to protect the Downtown Eastside population since the outbreak? What more should be done?

“A critically important development is that the federal government gave the green light on providing a medically prescribed ‘safer supply’ of drugs. Championed by my colleagues at the BC Centre on Substance Use and a provincial working group of addiction medicine clinicians and people with lived experience, the province has announced new clinical guidelines to both stem the spread of COVID-19 and respond to the ongoing overdose emergency. These guidelines allow people to access alternatives to the toxic drug supply and even have them delivered, to reduce the likelihood of infection as well as risks associated with the toxic drug supply.

The Canadian Drug Policy Coalition has developed a resource hub to support people who use drugs and the service providers that work with them. There is also harm-reduction guidance from the BC Centre for Disease Control and drug user advocacy groups in the neighbourhood, such as suggesting ways to avoid contracting COVID-19 from drug use supplies, buddying up and making sure to have an overdose plan.”

Excerpt of Dr. Go-At’s Interview with Dr. Liu on delivering telemedicine. Conducted at the Abbotsford-Mission Pub & Papers Scholar Evening 2020.

Dr. Go-At: G.O.A.T.! It will help you with telemedicine.

G stands for GATHER information.  So, listen to your patient and gather as much info as possible. Remember William Osler said, “Listen to your patient. He’s telling you the diagnosis.”

O stands for OBSERVE. You can still observe a lot of things. Is the speech rapid? Slow? Do they sound breathless? Do they sound happy? Sad? I bet you can almost do a full MSE with speech alone!

Dr. Liu: You can???

Dr. Go-At: Kid–you got so much to learn. And A stands for AFFIRM. Affirm with your patient. These are awkward times. Be honest with them. You don’t know the answer either. They will respect you the better for it. And finally, T stands for TEST.

Dr. Liu: TEST??!? How do you TEST in time of COVID?! The labs are closed, the x-rays are closed, the ER is…well it’s not closed, in fact, it’s too empty.

Dr. Go-At: Test–if it’s an earache–you know the timeline of event. Test! Book another appointment–follow through. If you got the diagnosis, you know the timeline. So, check your work by booking another appointment. It’s that simple!

Dr. Liu: G.O.A.T!

Dr. Go-At: Yes! G.O.A.T. Gather, Observe, Affirm, Test. Try it. Forget the SOAP note. It’s a lot of silly suds with no substance.

#GOAT #GatherObserveAffirmTest #GreatestOfAllTime #PubAndPapers2020

“Virtual meetings can sometimes be more fatiguing than face-to-face meetings as we work harder to process non-verbal cues, tone of voice, and body language, while being cognizant of our own communication and learning new technologies.

In light of an increased need for screen time in our professional and personal lives, the following tips and strategies may help restore some balance – whether you attend or organize meetings…”

Check out these tips on UBC’s Working Well: Virtual Meetings. You could also apply many of the suggestions, such as those on visual ergonomics, in the design of your virtual care practice.

Warmly,

Jacqueline

Great advice on Working Remotely: Video Conferencing Etiquette compiled by our UBC IT team.

Click to access Teaching-in-Turbulent-Times-v20Apr202.pdf

Greetings everyone!

Hope you are well. Attached is the newly released “Teaching During Turbulent Times” document that was created by our UBC Family Practice Residency Program Faculty Development team. You can access additional resources and links here.

Warm regards,

Jacqueline

Register here for The Virtual Resident: Tips & Tricks for Teaching in a Virtual Care Environment. Download the session poster here.

Greeting Preceptors & Residents!

Just a gentle reminder to please buddy up and complete your four video reviews this year. As many of you are delivering virtual care from your clinics, this is a great opportunity to hone your telepractice skills and webside manner.

Find attached our updated version of the FAQs on Video Reviews that takes into account some of our current constraints. If you have any questions or concerns regarding conducting observations, please contact me at jacqueline.ashby@ubc.ca.

Warm regards,

Jacqueline
Site Faculty Lead, Assessment & Evaluation

“International examples of Indigenous-led health partnerships have also incorporated traditional Indigenous knowledge and culture. The Nuka System of Care, for example, respectfully designed in response to the desires of Indigenous Peoples who use and own it, has incorporated traditional Indigenous knowledge and cultural services over the past 30 years in Southcentral Alaska. A 2013 review of the Nuka system partnerships over a 10-year period highlighted improvements in various health indicators, including reduced emergency department use by 42%, reduced hospital days by 36%, reduced staff turnover by 75%, increased childhood vaccinations by 25%, and increased patient and client reports of satisfaction in cultural safety at 94%. Similarly, there is evidence of improved health outcomes where Indigenous-led partnerships were developed in Japan, China, South Korea, India, Vietnam, Nicaragua and Australia. Table 2 highlights several international partnerships and health outcomes that can inform Canadian practice.”

Learn more here on Indigenous-led health care partnerships in Canada via CMAJ.

Image from Red dress window art project brings MMIWG awareness from the classroom to the masses via CBC.