Did you know that? 

There are nineteen family physicians who participate in intrapartum obstetrics at Victoria Hospital? This active group was involved in 615 deliveries during fiscal 2020/21. That is 11% of all deliveries that year. Forty-four family physicians have privileges to look after newborns. We are still troubleshooting to find a foolproof method for family doctors to be notified about their newborns needing examination.

Hot Topics in Family Medicine:

COVID Update, vaccinations etc.: Covid case numbers are quite low in our region and hopefully will continue to remain under control. This is in large part due to our successful vaccination program, masking, and physical distancing. The latest stats show that 87.9% of Ontario’s population have had at least one dose and 73.6% are fully vaccinated. The hospitals in London have implemented a mandatory vaccination policy for healthcare workers and 100% of the physicians with privileges at LHSC are now fully vaccinated for COVID.

Influenza and Influenza-like Illness, (ILI): While last year there was no significant impact from Influenza, we cannot expect that this year. In fact, influenza-like Illness is already on the rise. Distinguishing Influenza from COVID and other respiratory illnesses is a challenge that faces many family physicians in their offices and clinics. A useful guide was made available through OCFP/U of T Community of Practice and flags the need for COVID swab as part of the pathway for those physician offices equipped to deal with COVID swabs.

Influenza vaccinations have started in the Hospitals and many family doctors are already immunizing in their offices. LHSC and SJHC family physicians are reminded that they must get an Influenza shot or complete an attestation form to maintain their privileges to work in the hospital.

Completion of hospital discharge summaries within 48 hours: As everyone knows, this is a quality-of-care indicator flagged by the Ministry of Health and required under CPSO Guidelines. It is important for family physicians to receive the discharge summary in a timely fashion to provide appropriate follow up care to their patients who are discharged from hospital. All physicians who are discharging patients, including family physicians, must meet this deadline and the hospitals have set a target of 65%. The most recent figures for family physicians at SJHC/Parkwood are 62.5% and for LHSC 50%, so getting close. Family physicians are reminded to use the auto-authentication code, (Code10), when dictating so reports can be sent out right away after transcription.

London-Middlesex Primary Care Alliance: I hope that all family physicians are aware of and paying attention to the Alliance, https://lmprimarycare.ca  who are engaged in organizing and coordinating primary care practitioners in our region. Their newsletter contains a lot of details about current events, educational resources, and COVID updates. I also encourage you to attend their Town Hall events.