JCC – Simplifying the Journey

‘Simplifying the Journey’ is this year’s Joint Collaborative Committees’ pre-forum day of interactive workshops in partnership with BCPSQC’s Quality Forum. Support for registration, travel and accommodation is available for practicing physicians who wish to attend.  Contact JCC@doctorsofbc.ca for general information. Simplifying the Journey is on March 1 and the BCPSQC’s Annual Forum is on March 2 and 3.You can register for this event using code: JCC17guest.

    Forward to a friend

Easier access to mental health services for students

Inspired by a TED Talk, Dr. Marilyn Thorpe, a Victoria psychiatrist working through the University of Victoria (UVic) Health Services began the Psychiatrist-led Interdisciplinary Team (PIT) project.  Funded by SSC, a 30-minute PIT appointment is structured to incorporate the family doctor’s knowledge of and experience with the student-patient and a psychiatrist’s immediate assessment and care planning. If a more comprehensive review is needed, full psychiatric consultations are scheduled.

    Forward to a friend

Learning and building QI and leadership skills

As part of SSC’s strategy to support physician engagement, SSC is funding and partnering with each Health Authority to help build physician quality improvement (QI) expertise and leadership skills through the Regional QI Initiative. The Physician Quality and Regional Safety Team (PQRST) at Fraser Health (FH) was the first to get going in April 2015. More than a year later, the first PQRST cohort has completed an evaluation of their activities, gaining some impressive results and learnings.
 

    Forward to a friend

Spotlight on a Specialty will return in the next SSC Focus

UBC Chair for rural medicine

The first UBC Chair of Rural Medicine Dr. Dave Snadden, former Executive Associate Dean, Education with UBC’s Faculty of Medicine begins his term in December. The Chair will be responsible for looking at the needs of BC’s rural population through medical student selection criteria, physician training opportunities, health policy, service delivery, research and all items relating to the province’s rural health. Funding for the Chair comes from the Joint Standing Committee on Rural Issues, one of four joint collaborative committees that represent a partnership of the government of BC and Doctors of BC. For more information.

BC physicians - take steps to protect your online information

Recently, a number of physicians’ business and personal email accounts have been breached and personal information stolen. While not many email accounts were affected, we are concerned there may be a targeted effort to hack into physicians’ emails. This is compromising the security of the physicians’ own information, and some of the stolen information has also been used to access Pharmanet patient accounts. All physicians are encouraged to be extra-vigilant.

Recommendations include:
• making sure your passwords are complex
• not sharing your password information
• adding three security questions to your Doctors of BC account that will activate when you need to reset your password.

The RCMP and the Office of the Privacy and Information Commissioner are investigating the breaches. The Canadian Medical Association and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC are aware of the incidents, and MD Financial Management and Doctors of BC are implementing added security. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Heather Hannah, Risk and Compliance Officer, at 604-638-2839 or hhannah@doctorsofbc.ca.

Webinar series – IM/IT initiatives in BC

Doctors Technology Office (DTO) is seeking physicians to join in a series of upcoming webinars on information management and information technology (IM/IT) related initiatives at the regional and provincial level. The webinars are designed to help ensure closer linkages and provide opportunities for physicians to provide input and feedback. 
 
DTO advocates on behalf of and facilitates clinician engagement at a provincial level to ensure that there is a strong physician leadership voice in the design and implementation of IM/IT solutions for the health system, particularly those that impact clinical decision-making and clinical workflow. 

Interested physicians can contact DTO at dtoadmin@doctorsofbc.ca. More information about Doctors Technology Office.

CPSBC librarians at your service

For specialists, medical decisions can require access to precise and sometimes difficult to find clinical information.  Just call on the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC librarians - they have extensive experience and expertise and can search for literature to help solve your clinical dilemmas.  Library staff can be reached at 604-733-6671, medlib@cpsbc.ca or online.