Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #FamilyDoctorShortage
Most recents (7)
To fix the #FamilyDoctorShortage...
how many
family doctors
do we need?
The math should be simple, right?
A 🧵 to explain
why we need a whole
new math equation
to actually
fix the problem of
equitable access to
🇨🇦primary care
1/
how many
family doctors
do we need?
The math should be simple, right?
A 🧵 to explain
why we need a whole
new math equation
to actually
fix the problem of
equitable access to
🇨🇦primary care
1/
We only need 4400 family doctors...
2/
2/
We have a shortage
because
the assumptions
of the math equation
are... wrong.
❤️🩹Not every patient has the same primary care needs
❤️🩹Not every family doctor provides community-based longitudinal care
❤️🩹Not every doctor can work 5 days/week, 52 weeks/year, forever
3/
because
the assumptions
of the math equation
are... wrong.
❤️🩹Not every patient has the same primary care needs
❤️🩹Not every family doctor provides community-based longitudinal care
❤️🩹Not every doctor can work 5 days/week, 52 weeks/year, forever
3/
🩺❤️🩹
The #FamilyDoctorShortage in 🇨🇦 is ... bad.
What can you do to keep yourself as healthy as possible if you don't have a family doctor?
A🧵of (unofficial) ideas for "the unattached" 1/11
The #FamilyDoctorShortage in 🇨🇦 is ... bad.
What can you do to keep yourself as healthy as possible if you don't have a family doctor?
A🧵of (unofficial) ideas for "the unattached" 1/11
2/
❤️🩹🩺
First, let's get this important caveat out of the way...
If you are VERY SICK
e.g. issues breathing
or chest pain
or you're bleeding excessively
or another urgent/emergency condition
GO TO THE CLOSEST EMERGENCY ROOM or CALL 911
❤️🩹🩺
First, let's get this important caveat out of the way...
If you are VERY SICK
e.g. issues breathing
or chest pain
or you're bleeding excessively
or another urgent/emergency condition
GO TO THE CLOSEST EMERGENCY ROOM or CALL 911
3/
🩺❤️🩹
2nd crucial caveat
If over the last 3-6 mon you
-had unintended weight loss >10lbs
-have drenching night sweats (& aren't experiencing menopause)
-blood in your stool/urine
-have a breast lump
Get seen by an MD < ~2 weeks, & tell them these things (in person>>virtual)
🩺❤️🩹
2nd crucial caveat
If over the last 3-6 mon you
-had unintended weight loss >10lbs
-have drenching night sweats (& aren't experiencing menopause)
-blood in your stool/urine
-have a breast lump
Get seen by an MD < ~2 weeks, & tell them these things (in person>>virtual)
1/ Why I am worried about these emergency funds and why I think they probably won't help improve primary care access, a thread #bcpoli #PrimaryCare
2/ 💯Primary care is in a terrible state in BC (has been worsening for 20 years), and this money might "stem the bleeding" but it won't remedy the sharp objects causing the bleeding🩸🩸🩸
3/ Imagine public education in the same state, a million kids don't have a school to go to and teachers quitting everywhere because they are burnt out, and the cost of running their own school is unsustainable
The #FamilyDoctorShortage
Can we fix it with more walk-in clinics?
A 🧵 about access hours
for (episodic) primary care in BC
based on our recent pre-print paper
#Cdnhealth #primarycare #bcpoli #tweetorial
@ircoopy @LindsayKHedden @UBCISU @sarah_fletch
medrxiv.org/content/10.110…
Can we fix it with more walk-in clinics?
A 🧵 about access hours
for (episodic) primary care in BC
based on our recent pre-print paper
#Cdnhealth #primarycare #bcpoli #tweetorial
@ircoopy @LindsayKHedden @UBCISU @sarah_fletch
medrxiv.org/content/10.110…
1⃣ What's the difference
between seeing a family doctor at a walk-in clinic
versus
a "regular" family doctor's office?
There are two typical kinds of "relationships" people have with a family doctor - EPISODIC + LONGITUDINAL #Cdnhealth #primarycare
between seeing a family doctor at a walk-in clinic
versus
a "regular" family doctor's office?
There are two typical kinds of "relationships" people have with a family doctor - EPISODIC + LONGITUDINAL #Cdnhealth #primarycare
A LONGITUDINAL relationship
with a doctor, NP, clinic,
ie you get to know each other
Research has shown that LONGITUDINAL primary care
improves the health of a community +
reduces overall costs of the system.
🪄Magic, right? #Cdnhealth #primarycare
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16202000/
with a doctor, NP, clinic,
ie you get to know each other
Research has shown that LONGITUDINAL primary care
improves the health of a community +
reduces overall costs of the system.
🪄Magic, right? #Cdnhealth #primarycare
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16202000/
Why is my family doctor running so far behind?
Another 🧵
to explore
the inner workings of
🇨🇦 care,
and
why the
#FamilyDoctorShortage
will not be fixed
by just hiring more family doctors.
@BCFamilyDoctors
Another 🧵
to explore
the inner workings of
🇨🇦 care,
and
why the
#FamilyDoctorShortage
will not be fixed
by just hiring more family doctors.
@BCFamilyDoctors
There are two main reasons your doctor is running late:
1) undifferentiated illness
2) primary care service funding being stuck in 1985
#FamilyDoctorShortage
1) undifferentiated illness
2) primary care service funding being stuck in 1985
#FamilyDoctorShortage
Let's start with undifferentiated illness.
You can show up at your family doctor's office looking for help for ANYTHING:
contraception
anxiety
drinking too much
sore knee
cough & fever
question about a drug ad you saw on TV
etc
#FamilyDoctorShortage
You can show up at your family doctor's office looking for help for ANYTHING:
contraception
anxiety
drinking too much
sore knee
cough & fever
question about a drug ad you saw on TV
etc
#FamilyDoctorShortage
What happens
when your
family doctor
orders
LAB TESTS
for you?
Another 🧵 about the inner workings of 🇨🇦 primary care (or how the sausage gets made), and how fixing the #familydoctorshortage is not just about hiring more doctors.
@BCFamilyDoctors
when your
family doctor
orders
LAB TESTS
for you?
Another 🧵 about the inner workings of 🇨🇦 primary care (or how the sausage gets made), and how fixing the #familydoctorshortage is not just about hiring more doctors.
@BCFamilyDoctors
Let's say you go to your doctor,
after considering your story (= reason for your visit), your past medical history,
the possible diagnoses/treatments
for the issue,
she decides to order blood work (=evidence-based medicine),
& you agree with that (=shared decision making).
after considering your story (= reason for your visit), your past medical history,
the possible diagnoses/treatments
for the issue,
she decides to order blood work (=evidence-based medicine),
& you agree with that (=shared decision making).
She creates a LAB REQUISITION (="req")
She selects the tests that she thinks will help understand/treat/monitor the issue.
This is based on what she learned in med school, what she learned staying up to date(=Continuing Medical Education) & sometimes, a specialist's advice
She selects the tests that she thinks will help understand/treat/monitor the issue.
This is based on what she learned in med school, what she learned staying up to date(=Continuing Medical Education) & sometimes, a specialist's advice
I think Nurse Practitioners are a part of the solution to the #FamilyDoctorShortage in #BCPrimaryCare and the rest of 🇨🇦
👀
👀
I expect to hear the following "buts"
1- see too few patients
2- spend too much time per pt, cost too much
3- have less training than FP's
And, I agree they are not 1:1 replaceable with FP's
But a "doctors only" fix to Primary Care is so 2019
1- see too few patients
2- spend too much time per pt, cost too much
3- have less training than FP's
And, I agree they are not 1:1 replaceable with FP's
But a "doctors only" fix to Primary Care is so 2019
Team-based primary care with other care providers:
nurse practitioners
nurses
OT/PT
counseling
SW
pharmacist
elders
patient navigators
This is what is going to address the shortages, in a meaningful and sustainable way.
nurse practitioners
nurses
OT/PT
counseling
SW
pharmacist
elders
patient navigators
This is what is going to address the shortages, in a meaningful and sustainable way.
