January, 2020

Sharing information, resources, and results from Shared Care GP/Specialist collaborative projects from across B.C. Please forward to others you think might be interested. 

Committee Leadership Updates 

Our thanks also to Ministry of Health representative, Ryan Murray, who is also leaving the committee, and welcome to new Ministry representative, Evan Howatson. Evan is currently Executive Director, Labour and Agreements, where he is responsible for the Ministry’s Alternative Payments Program, labour policy and labour relations, and special initiatives. 

Bridging Transitions in Care

From left: Dr Laura Phillips, Family Physician; Kristin Atwood, Project Manager; Dr Matt Billinghurst, Hospital Physician; 
Dr Lisa Veres, Family Physician; Jo-Anne Beeren-Parsons, Project Coordinator

How ‘patient summaries’ are connecting
physicians to improve care

A new project is strengthening the circle of care around patients to include more communication between family physicians and hospital physicians in Greater Victoria on Vancouver Island.

“Hospital and family physicians are now feeling more like colleagues in the care of their shared patients. It’s been a big success that’s arisen from this project.” 

Joint Collaborative Committees Pre-Forum Event: Feb 25 

JCC Creating Connections for Health, February 25th — There are now over 440 leaders and innovators registered to attend this event, with physicians making up 60 percent of participants.

Join your colleagues and partners to network and learn from more than 50 presentations and storyboards demonstrating the value of creating connections to improve care. We are also pleased to feature Keynote Speaker: Dr. Danièle Behn Smith speaking on Roots of Wellness: Indigenous Perspectives on Practitioner Resiliency.

Sponsorship & Registration — Please use code JCC20-Physician to waive your registration fee. For other sponsored attendees, please contact jcc@doctorsofbc.ca for your code.

Thank you for registering. We look forward to seeing you there!

Resources

Dr Linda Uyeda, Family Physician, ACEs Summit, 2019

ACEs 101 Webinar: An Introduction to
Adverse Childhood Experiences in Primary Care

Brought to you by the Child and Youth Mental Health and Substance Use (CYMHSU) Community of Practice, the ACEs 101 webinar, presented on January 17 by family physician, Dr. Linda Uyeda, is available for viewing here (password: aces)

In the webinar, Dr Uyeda, who consults at Fraser Health youth clinics and the Forensic Psychiatric Hospital, introduces viewers to the ACEs study and the impact of ACEs as a major healthcare concern, including the physiologic changes that occur when a child is exposed to chronic toxic stress. An ACEs 102 webinar will be scheduled in the coming months to dive deeper into how to provide trauma-informed care. To receive notices of upcoming webinars, and to get involved in the Community of Practice, contact Eileen Janel at ejanel@doctorsofbc.ca. 

New DocTalks Video - Reducing risks from medications

How to make deprescribing more like dancing than wrestling

A new DocTalks video “Addressing Polypharmacy – New Habits for Effective Deprescribing” features Dr Mark Lawrie, a family physician in Penticton with extensive experience in polypharmacy. 

In the video, Lawrie shares his approach through telling Edna’s story—a case study of an elderly woman on multiple medications whose deteriorating health has meant her loss of independence. Lawrie likens his role to a “suspicious detective” as he reviews Edna’s medications to determine if polypharmacy could be responsible for her decline. Lawrie also describes looking for clues to assess which drugs may be causing more harm than benefit, and how he ranks drugs to develop a medication plan to stop, taper, or substitute the culprits potentially causing adverse reactions and drug cascades. 

Enhance Learning

The video will be of interest to all involved in prescribing and deprescribing: physicians, residents, nurses, pharmacists, care staff, patients, families, caregivers and others. A supporting document has been created to take learning one step further; with resources, a case study, and reflective exercises to facilitate Group Sessions or ongoing individual development.  

Articles

The following articles highlight examples of Shared Care work and partnerships across the province

Collaborating for Optimal Mental Health and Substance Care in Northern Gulf Island Rural Communities

Three Divisions of Family Practice are collaborating on a Shared Care Mental Health and Substance Use project to improve access to care in rural communities. Learn how a team-based care approach, telehealth, and other strategies are addressing the needs of each community.

BCMJ: Self-Management Training in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Skills addresses unmet mental health needs in Victoria, BC

The CBT Skills Group program, which is designed to be delivered within primary care, was co-developed by psychiatrists and family physicians.The skills groups have proved to be a cost-effective and equitable way to deliver early intervention services with service providers who already provide care for patients with mild-to-moderate mental health concerns. 

Dr Cole Stanley: Helping Patients with Opioid Use Disorder

When opioid overdoses and deaths reached stunning proportions in 2016 and 2017, and a public health crisis was declared, Dr Cole Stanley recognized that he and his colleagues might be able to better serve their patients with opioid use disorder (OUD). The project is supported by multiple partners, including Specialist Services and Shared Care.