HOT TOPICS IN FAMILY MEDICINE

Family Physician Redeployment:

Since we are in wave 2 of the pandemic, hospital departments are being asked to update their department redeployment plans. In preparation for this, I am asking family physicians if they would be available for redeployment within the hospital, subacute medicine, palliative care, ICU, urgent care, or field hospital should this be necessary.  Hopefully this will not be necessary but best to be prepared. Please let us know in the CWDFM office (sheena.blasing@sjhc.london.on.ca) if you would be available for redeployment in extreme circumstances.

Assessment Centres:

Family physicians are being sought to help staff the COVID Assessment Centres. Dr. Gord Schacter is coordinating this for the community and may be reached at gschacter@me.com if you are available to help at the Assessment Centre or require further information.

Professional Development in Family Medicine:

Welcome back to our new academic year (September through June). Although we are in the throes of the second wave of COVID-19, we are proceeding with our usual academic and professional development activities, using virtual technology.

• Grand Rounds in Family Medicine: 1st Wednesday of every month at 8:30 – 9:30 a.m. via ZOOM
• Grand Rounds in Palliative Care: Wednesday October 16, 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. via ZOOM
• Family Medicine Obstetrics Grand Rounds:  Thursday November 19, 7:30 – 8:30 a.m. via ZOOM
• Palliative Care Journal Club: Tuesday November 17, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. via ZOOM

Some have complained about receiving all the notices for all these events. If you have hospital privileges you would naturally be on the list for dissemination. Please let us know if there are events that you would not participate in and we will take you off the distribution list.

The Annual Clinical Day of the CWDFM has been postponed until September 2021 and options for virtual presentations are being explored.

Children’s Health and COVID-19:

What to do with children with symptoms? has been a hot topic since school re-opened. Having a child sent home from school with a runny nose creates problems for the child, the parents, the workplace, and for family doctors who may be inundated with calls about this. In general, children who have one symptom can be managed at home, without testing, as families would usually do.

The Ministry of Health revised their guidelines about this in early October. This can be viewed at: https://covid-19.ontario.ca/covid19-cms-assets/2020-10/Screening%20Children%20v1.0%202020-10-01%20FINAL%20EN%20AODA.pdf.

There is now a focus on whether the child’s symptoms are multiple or only one, whether they are worsening, and whether they may be explained by a chronic condition or the child’s usual health status.  New symptoms or those that are getting worse should trigger a call to the family physician who will assess and advise about next steps. If a COVID swab is recommended the child may be advised to attend an Assessment Centre. Some family doctors are performing COVID testing for their patients to save them from long wait times at the Assessment Center and can do this successfully if they have adequate PPE and appropriate office setup.

LHSC Administrative Reorganization:

LHSC has reorganized its clinical portfolios under a new organizational structure linked to functionality. Family Medicine is now under a new Vice president, Cathy Vandersluis, along with Medicine and Palliative Care. Family Medicine will also play a role in a new integrated portfolio with Primary Care, Pediatrics, and Women’s Care, under a temporary VP at present, Nash Syed. A permanent Vice President is being sought to lead the portfolio. Both of these portfolios are overseen by an Executive Vice President, Jackie Schliefer Taylor, Chief Clinical Officer.

London Middlesex Primary Care Alliance:

The London Middlesex Primary Care Alliance (LMPCA) is asking all primary care practitioners to consider the Vision and Mission of the Alliance and unite behind this with a cohesive voice that will authorize the LMPCA to speak with authority about the primary care role in health system change and provide a strong primary care voice at the Ontario Health Team level. The Vision and Mission is as follows:

• Vision: An inclusive network of primary care providers leading with a unified voice to improve the health of our community.
• Mission: To create a strong and united primary care network to:

1. Lead system change utilizing quintuple aim values
2. Drive health equity and continuous quality improvement for the best possible experience and health outcomes
3. Advance patient-centred equitable care in partnership with those we serve
4. Improve integration of primary health services with public health and other social and health care partners