These messages in my local FB group were actually what first caught my eye. I found the @[email protected] article later.
@[email protected] has your office received calls from constituents about this?
4/4 And finally, if you have a family doctor or nurse practitioner, this is the Ontario College of Family Physicians handout that they might give you.
In 12 languages, which is fantastic! #cdnhealth #onhealth https://www.ontariofamilyphysicians.ca/actions-parents-can-take-caring-for-a-child-with-respiratory-illness
3/4 If your young child has a cold and some breathing difficulties, here are some tips for things to watch out for, reasons to go to a hospital, and how to care for them at home.
By TREKK Canada and ECHO Research http://bronchiolitis.trekk.ca
2/4 Can't find acetaminophen or ibuprofen in children's doses?
About Kids Health from the Hospital for Sick Children has a guide for splitting tablets https://aboutkidshealth.ca/Article?contentid=4088&language=English: it's short, so easy to read the whole thing before trying yourself.
Not sure what to do about #fever and #cough? Here are some great resources for parents & caregivers.
1/4 TREKK Canada has fantastic videos and advice by health care experts on how to deal with fever 🌡️ http://fever.trekk.ca #health #parents
As an emerg doc, I see full waiting rooms every night I'm in the hospital. Legislating 10 permanent #PaidSickDays would allow parents and children enough time to recover properly or get preventive care, rather than waiting in the ER.
#justice4workers #onpoli #Ontario https://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/suleman-and-mclaren-to-help-sick-children-give-their-caregivers-paid-sick-days
🎉 Toronto Environmental Alliance's Greener City Celebration is back in person for 2022!
Join me in supporting a green, healthy and equitable #Toronto at Lula Lounge on Dec 5!
Tickets and info 🎟️ https://www.torontoenvironment.org/board_celebration #environment
Important research showing that the current model of virtual urgent care in Ontario "may exacerbate existing health inequities among patients", suggesting the need for future improvements.
Congratulations on this work to Shelley McLeod et al! #healthcare #emergencymedicine https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s43678-022-00407-9
Introduction As part of the COVID-19 pandemic response, the Ontario Ministry of Health funded a virtual care pilot program intended to support emergency department (ED) diversion of patients with low acuity complaints and reduce the need for face-to-face contact. The objective was to describe the demographic characteristics, outcomes and experience of patients using the provincial pilot program. Methods This was a prospective cohort study of patients using virtual care services provided by 14 ED-led pilot sites from December 2020 to September 2021. Patients who completed a virtual visit were invited by email to complete a standardized, 25-item online survey, which included questions related to satisfaction and patient-reported outcome measures. Results There were 22,278 virtual visits. When patients were asked why they contacted virtual urgent care, of the 82.7% patients who had a primary care provider, 31.0% said they could not make a timely appointment with their family physician. Rash, fever, abdominal pain, and COVID-19 vaccine queries represented 30% of the presenting complaints. Of 19,613 patients with a known disposition, 12,910 (65.8%) were discharged home and 3,179 (16.2%) were referred to the ED. Of the 2,177 survey responses, 94% rated their overall experience as 8/10 or greater. More than 80% said they had answers to all the questions they had related to their health concern, believed they were able to manage the issue, had a plan they could follow, and knew what to do if the issue got worse or came back. Conclusions Many presenting complaints were low acuity, and most patients had a primary care provider, but timely access was not available. Future work should focus on health equity to ensure virtual care is accessible to underserved populations. We question if virtual urgent care can be safely and more economically provided by non-emergency physicians.
Is efficiency a barrier to sustainability?
In our comment in The Lancet Planetary Health, Colin Sue-Chue-Lam, Elizabeth Shove and I critically reflect on the role of efficiency, the value of health, and the meaning of needs in the quest for #sustainable #healthcare
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(22)00256-X/fulltext
Michelle Cohen, MD
Ravi Yee Joshi
