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  • COVID-19 Wellness Series: Building Your Team’s Psychological PPE

    Dear AFHTO Members,

    We recognize that the pandemic has impacted our teams and continues to impact you many ways. PPE has been critical during the pandemic to help protect teams’ physical wellbeing; however, the “psychological PPE” is crucial to protect teams’ mental well being. Coping with the stress in a healthy manner will allow for you to take care of yourself and in return take care of patients. To support your mental well being, AFHTO has partnered with Mental Health Works to provide 4 workshops to help build your “psychological PPE”.

    Mental Health Works is a nationwide social enterprise of the Canadian Mental Health Association, Ontario Division. It provides capacity-building workshops, presentations and webinars that are person-centred, evidence based, and solutions-focused.

    Mental Health Works will be offering 4 workshops for all AFHTO members, facilitated by Lawrence Blake, Certified Psychological Health and Safety Advisor, Program Manager, Mental Health Works. Below is a brief description of the workshops, dates & times, and links to register.

    Health Anxiety

    This session is all about how a pandemic can cause intense feelings of anxiety regarding our health and the health of our loved ones and friends. Using evidence-based methods, it will impart skills employers and staff can use in the context of business resumption to mitigate anxiety about returning to the workplace in a latent COVID-19 environment.

    When: Dec 7, 2020 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EDT

    Length: 1 hour

    Register: Click here

     

    Mental Health and Telecommuting

    With telework becoming more common during the COVID-19 pandemic, this session addresses the unique challenges this brings to caring for and about employee mental health. It will provide a high-level overview on how we can build psychologically healthy and safe workplaces when the place of work is the home.

    When: Dec 10, 2020 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EDT

    Length: 1 hour

    Register: Click here

     

    Isolation and Loneliness

    This session provides a high-level overview of how isolation and loneliness affect work, the workplace and our mental health. It focuses specifically on the experience of enforced isolation due to physical distancing measures, and provides concrete tools that can be used to mitigate the stress this causes.

    When: Dec 15, 2020 02:00 PM – 3:00 PM EDT

    Length: 1 hour

    Register: Click here

     

    Mindfulness at Work

    This session talks about mindfulness, what it is, what we can do to achieve it, and introduces staff to skills that can be used to improve health, wellness and performance. Being more mindful of our thoughts and feelings enables better conversation.

    When: Dec 17, 2020 01:00 PM – 2:00 PM EDT

    Length: 1 hour

    Register: Click here  

     

    Q&A with CMHA 

    This session will be a wrap up of all the sessions above and an opportunity for a live Q&A with CMHA staff around resources, supports and questions for staff mental health. 

    When: Dec 18, 2020 10:00 AM – 11:00 PM EDT

    Length: 1 hour

    Register: Click here  

    Please share the workshop registration information with your team! For more information on the webinar series please click here.

    Take care.

    Thanks,
    AFHTO

     

  • Bits & Pieces: members in newly approved OHTs, updated case definition and more

    Bits & Pieces: members in newly approved OHTs, updated case definition and more

    Your Weekly News & Updates

    In This Issue  
    • Thirteen new OHTs announced
    • How collaboration created an essential PPE community hub during the first wave of COVID-19
    • Members’ stories – #PrimaryCareAlwaysThere
    • Reminder- enter to win free registration to Legal Issues for Primary Care Teams series
    • Updated case definition, testing guidance and more
    • Call for applications – TUTOR-PHC 2021
    • CFPC dementia care needs assessment survey
    • Seeking input for study on the role and practice characteristics of Kinesiologists
    • Seeking input for COVID-19 research study for Toronto healthcare workers
    • Upcoming events on building resilience beyond COVID by CMHO and more

    Thirteen new OHTs announced

    Congratulations to the thirteen new Ontario Health Teams and to our member teams that are engaged and participating in the development of OHTs. Visit our site to see which members are involved with the latest OHTs announced.

    Rebuilding Podcast Episode1

    How collaboration created an essential PPE community hub during the first wave of COVID-19

    As on-demand sponsor of #AFHTO2020, HIROC has interviewed several presenters for their podcast series. The first episode focuses on the remarkable efforts of the London-Middlesex PPE Initiative. Listen to the episode here. It’s also available via Apple and Spotify (search HIROC).

    Members’ stories – #PrimaryCareAlwaysThere

    North Simcoe FHT- launched a virtual care clinic in Feb, at the start of COVID-19. About 700 locals who didn’t have a doctor are now part of the clinic. Those 700 have accumulated 3,500 visits in 8 months. That’s 3,500 visits that didn’t go to the ED. Read more here.

    This and other stories are profiled on our Twitter and Facebook accounts as ways to highlight the pivotal role that primary care plays in the health system.

    #PrimaryCareAlwaysThere and #PrimaryCareFluFighters are getting a lot of attention, so please let us know about your team initiatives so we can highlight the great work you’re doing!

    Reminder- enter to win free registration to Legal Issues for Primary Care Teams series

    AFHTO members have the chance to win one (1) free registration to the 2021 Legal Issues for Primary Care Teams series, with Kate Dewhirst and Maria McDonald. The deadline to enter is Nov. 27, 2020. A winner will be randomly drawn and announced Dec. 1, 2020 (also the early bird pricing deadline). Enter today!

    Updated case definition, testing guidance and more

    Updates recently released include:

    We continue to update several pages on our site with resources and news:

    Call for applications – TUTOR-PHC 2021

    The final call for applications for TUTOR-PHC Transdisciplinary Understanding and Training on Research – Primary Health Care (TUTOR-PHC) has gone out.

    TUTOR-PHC is a one-year, pan-Canadian interdisciplinary research capacity building program that has been training primary and integrated health care researchers, clinicians and decision-makers from family medicine, nursing, psychology, epidemiology, social work, occupational therapy, education, policy and many other disciplines since 2003.

    Please find more information here- English and French. Deadline to apply is Nov. 30, 2020.

    CFPC dementia care needs assessment survey

    In collaboration with the Alzheimer Society of Canada, the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) wants to compile a repository of existing practice tools and develop new tools or continuing professional development programs that will improve family physicians’ ability to provide care to patients with dementia.
     
    The CFPC is seeking your participation in this needs assessment survey to develop a better understanding of the gaps, barriers, and facilitating factors you have experienced in accessing educational resources and tools for family physicians on caring for patients with dementia.

    Seeking input for study on the role and practice characteristics of Kinesiologists
    University of Guelph researchers are investigating the role and practice characteristics of Registered Kinesiologists within Ontario’s healthcare system and invite you to complete an online survey.

    Your responses will aid in identifying the barriers and facilitators of integrating Registered Kinesiologists into Ontario’s healthcare system.

    The survey will take approximately 5-10 minutes to complete and if you are one of the first 200 participants, you will be eligible to receive a $10.00 gift card to your choice of iTunes, Starbucks, Tim Hortons, Cineplex, Amazon, Best Buy, Indigo/Chapters or an Ultimate Dining Card.

    Seeking input for COVID-19 research study for Toronto healthcare workers
    Sinai Health System and McMaster University researchers want to better understand how many people develop COVID-19 infection, how often infection is spread in households, and whether there are microbes or early immune responses (in our nose) that protect or make people more susceptible to infection.

    Physicians, nurse practitioners, midwives, physicians’ assistants, nurses, or receptionists working in private medical practices/medical clinics working in the greater Toronto area are eligible to participate. Find out more here. If you have further questions, email covid.study@sinaihealth.ca or call (647) 267-2413 weekdays between 8AM and 7PM.

    Increasing older adults’ access to care: Lessons learned from the pandemic response, Nov. 25, 2020
    In this webinar hosted by CAMH, Sara Bhatti , Alliance for Healthier Communities and Alvis Choi, Yet Keen Seniors’ Day Centre describe specific responses taken by CHCs to address the needs of older adults during the pandemic. Register here.

    Healing the Gender Gap, Nov. 27, 2020
    The OMA and the SGFP will hold a panel discussion and Q&A about gender issues in medicine.
    Learn more here.

    CMHO Burnout webinars, Nov. 27-Dec. 4, 2020

    Cultural Safety and Indigenous Partnership, Nov. 27, 2020
    Join the first webinar of this Virtual Learning Exchange in Primary Care series held by the Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement. Learn more here.

    COVID-19 CoP of Ontario Family Physicians, Dec. 11, 2020

    Learn alongside other Ontario family physicians on how to adapt to these challenging times.
    Learn more here.

    ECHO Ontario Mental Health- Winter Programs, Jan. 11 – Mar 30, 2021

    CAMH has released their winter programming schedule. Deadline Dec. 4.
    Learn more here.

  • Follow-up on ED check-in calls – and additional tools and resources

    Dear triad members,

    We had our regional ED check-in calls on November 17 and 18. This is a follow-up communique with the material promised on the calls, and some additional reminders, tools, and resources.

    Mental health and wellbeing

    • We are pleased to share that the federal government is providing one-time mental health and addictions funding to help alleviate the increase in demand and a backlog of services due to COVID-19. Approximately $3 million will be distributed to interprofessional primary care teams, including AHACs, CHCs, FHTs, and NPLCs, to increase access to mental health and addictions supports for patients in Q4.
      • All FHTs will receive a minimum of $5,000, with a top-up based on roster size, to be used in Q4. Funding distribution is in the final stages of approval, and we expect teams to receive it by end of year. Teams can choose to pool this funding within regions to target areas in greatest need.
    • We continue to post resources on our mental health and wellbeing page. Please check them out and encourage your staff do so as well. These are very challenging times, and we hope these resources give a bit of guidance and support.

    AFHTO’s OHT and KTE supports

    • AFHTO conducted seven polls on the calls to get a sense of work on the ground and where supports are needed or should focus. The results of the polls can be seen here.
    • AFHTO heard loud and clear that a webinar series on OHTs would be helpful! We will organize these now and kick them off in the new year. Please email topic suggestions to Bryn Hamilton.
    • We will also begin organizing KTE webinars based on your poll feedback. The top four areas of interest were patient/caregiver engagement, mental health, digital equity, and social determinants of health. If you have ideas for KTE topics, please send them to Sandeep Gill.

    #PrimaryCareAlwaysThere

    • We are speaking up against the narrative that primary care was or is closed during the pandemic. This includes communicating the benefits of virtual and in-person care – and that virtual care is care.
    • The Twitter campaign is #PrimaryCareAlwaysThere. We encourage you share stories about how your teams supported your patients and communities and use the hashtag. Let us also know so we can share your examples with our ministry and OH colleagues during our discussions.
    • Thank you to all who participated in our summer research about how primary care stepped up. Taking what we learned, we created Crossing Chasms: Primary Care Teams’ Response to COVID-19 to show the great work done by our teams. We also created a video. Please share this widely, and keep letting us know how you are supporting your communities so we can continue to highlight how pivotal primary care is in the pandemic response.

    Microsoft Teams discount

    • AFHTO has been exploring a group purchase of Microsoft Teams for a member discount. We have learned that the summer survey AFHTO conducted has indicated that the number of users was not enough for us to qualify for Microsoft Canada’s affiliate program.
    • Ontario Health, as part of their digital strategy, is in negotiations with Microsoft Canada on an agreement to offer Microsoft 365 (which includes Teams) at a discount to healthcare providers and organizations. The discount will be extended to the broader healthcare sector, and AFHTO has initiated conversations with Ontario Health about offering this discount to AFHTO members. An update will be provided in January.

    QSC patient advisor application

    • AFHTO is recruiting a patient advisor representative for the AFHTO quality steering committee (QSC). Our hope is for the advisor to be a patient of one of our teams!
    • More information is here. Please consider speaking with patients who you think may be interested and circulating this across your team.

    Primary care patient/client and provider virtual care experience surveys

    • In August, we launched the Primary Care Patient/Client Virtual Care Experience Survey for teams to capture the patient experience with virtual care. AFHTO is collecting teams’ aggregate responses to create a narrative of how virtual care could be permanently included in the patient care journey – click here to submit your data!
    • There is also a patient/client survey created by Women’s College Hospital Institute of Health Systems Solutions and Virtual Care (WIHV), who is conducting a third-party evaluation of virtual care in the COVID-19 era on behalf of the ministry. You can provide the survey link to patients.
    • WIHV is also conducting a third-party evaluation of virtual care in the COVID-19 era on behalf of the ministry to measure the provider experience on virtual care. Please share this short 10-15 minute online survey with all providers on your team.
    • Both WIHV surveys include the opportunity to enter a draw to win one of four $50 gift cards to the Bay, Shoppers Drug Mart, or Amazon. Your participation will remain anonymous and confidential.
      • If you have any questions or would like to share your current virtual patient/client survey results with WIHV, please email rebecca.liu@wchospital.ca.
      • Please reach out to jamie.fujioka@wchospital.ca if you have any questions or concerns about the provider experience survey.
    • This research is important as the ministry looks at the future of virtual care – please spread the word, and we encourage you to participate!

    Friendly reminders

    • A new agency called Supply Ontario has been created to centralize government procurement, including stabilizing access to PPE for the long term. The goal is to have the inaugural board in place early in the new year. In the meantime, a reminder that primary care can access the provincial stockpile. Even if you have more than 7 days of stock, you can access the pandemic PPE transitional support and send any questions to your regional supply chain lead.
    • The Physiotherapy Clinical Education Team at Queen’s is coordinating clinical placements for 2021. If any teams have a PT in place and would be able to supervise a student, please email Melanie Law at lawm@queensu.ca.
    • Please send your AOP to the ministry as soon as able. While there is no set deadline on it, we encourage teams aim to submit in before the end of the year.

    This was our last round of ED check-in calls for 2020, and we look forward to connecting in the new year.

    We thank and applaud you for your persistence and commitment to delivering the best quality primary care during very trying times. We hope you, your staff, and your friends and families find some down time next month to rest.

    Please reach any time with questions or suggestions on how we can continue to support you.

    Stay well,

    Your AFHTO team 

  • ED polls – November 2020

    EDs joined AFHTO’s regular regional calls on November 17 and 18. Seven polls were conducted to help AFHTO get a sense of work on the ground and where supports are needed or should focus. The results of the polls are below.

    Q1 What topics would be of value for 2021 KTE webinars?  (Check all that apply.)

    Topic ED votes
    Patient and caregiver engagement 53
    Mental health 45
    Digital equity 45
    Social determinants of health 43
    Caring for older adults during COVID-19 32
    Palliative care 31
    Diversity and inclusion 30
    Anti-racism 27
    IPAC 20

     

    Q2 Are you interested in a pilot accreditation process for your team?

     

     

    Response ED votes
    No, this is not a priority now 25
    Maybe interested, but need more information 23
    Yes, but this would best be an integrative process through OHTs at a later date
         		 14
    Yes, we would be interested in pursuing a pilot accreditation opportunity, but at a later date
         		 9
    Yes, we would be interested in pursuing a pilot accreditation opportunity now
         		 6

     

    Q3 What best identifies the ED/admin lead’s role on the board?

    Response  ED votes
    Non-voting member of the board 59
    Invited as a permanent guest of the board 22
    Other 3
    Voting member of the board 2

     

    Q4 What best identifies the lead physician’s role on the board?

    Response  ED votes
    Voting member of the board 50
    Non-voting member of the board 16
    Other 14
    Invited as a permanent guest of the board 7

     

    Q5 How is the information and communication you receive from AFHTO?

    Response ED votes
    The amount of information we receive is fine 80
    We receive too much information from AFHTO 4
    We could use more information from AFHTO 2

     

    Q6 Would you be open to the Ministry sharing your AOP and Schedule A with AFHTO?

    Response ED votes
    Yes 73
    No  10

     

    Q7 Are you involved in or do you have the capacity to be involved in contact tracing and testing? (Multiple choice.)

    Response ED votes 
    No, we do not have capacity 47
    Yes, we are involved in testing 30
    We have capacity but are not yet involved 13
    Yes, we are involved in contact tracing 3

     

  • Thirteen New Ontario Health Teams Announced

    Congratulations to the thirteen new Ontario Health Teams and to our member teams that are engaged and participating in the development of OHTs. This list may be updated as more information becomes available.

    Ontario Health Team

    		 AFHTO Members
     Brantford Brant OHT PrimaCare FHT
    Downtown East Toronto OHT

    Inner City FHT

    Sherbourne Health Centre FHT

    St. Michael’s Hospital Academic FHT
    Frontenac, Lennox & Addington OHT

    Kingston FHT
    Lakelands FHT
    Loyalist FHT
    Maple FHT
    Queen’s FHT
    Sharbot Lake FHT
    Kawartha Lakes OHT

    City of Kawartha Lakes FHT
    Kawartha North FHT
    Kitchener, Waterloo, Wellesley, Wilmot and Woolwich OHT

    Centre for Family Medicine FHT
    New Vision FHT
    Lanark, Leeds and Grenville OHT Leeds & Grenville Community FHT
    Mid-West Toronto OHT

    Inner City FHT
    Mount Sinai Academic FHT
    Taddle Creek FHT

    Toronto Western FHT

    Women’s College Academic FHT
    Oxford and Area OHT

    Ingersoll NPLC

    Thames Valley FHT
    Rainy River OHT

    Atikokan FHT

    Fort Frances FHT
    Sarnia Lambton OHT

    Central Lambton FHT
    Rapids FHT
    Scarborough OHT

    Carefirst FHT

    Inner City FHT

    Scarborough Academic FHT
    South Georgian Bay OHT Georgian Bay FHT
    West Toronto OHT

    Crosstown FHT
    Village FHT

    Relevant Link:

  • Bits & Pieces: apply for messaging pilots, free registration for legal webinars and more

    Bits & Pieces: apply for messaging pilots, free registration for legal webinars and more

    Your Weekly News & Updates

    In This Issue  
    • Teams can apply for messaging pilots
    • Enter to win free registration to Legal Issues for Primary Care Teams series
    • Mental Health Works modules available from CMHA Ontario
    • Urgent need for physio student placement
    • Quality standard placemats- low back pain and osteoarthritis
    • Recommendations for resuming spirometry, Supply Ontario & PPE, and more
    • Registered Respiratory Therapist job descriptions
    • Upcoming events on increasing older adults’ access to care and more

    Sustaining virtual care-Dr. Ed Brown

    Teams can apply for messaging pilots

    Primary care teams are eligible to apply for funding for tech licenses and fee-for-service messaging as part of Ontario Health’s COVID‐19 funded projects. If you are interested, please contact Vivian Henderson – vhenderson@otn.ca. As a bonus, you can also see Dr. Ed Brown’s recent presentation on sustaining virtual care here.

     

    Enter to win free registration to Legal Issues for Primary Care Teams series

    AFHTO members have the chance to win one (1) free registration to the 2021 Legal Issues for Primary Care Teams series, with Kate Dewhirst and Maria McDonald. Topics include employment law, OHTs, employees as patients and more. The deadline to enter is Nov. 27, 2020. A winner will be randomly drawn and announced Dec. 1, 2020. Enter today!

    Mental Health Works modules available from CMHA Ontario

    Mental Health Works is a nationwide social enterprise of the Canadian Mental Health Association, Ontario Division. It offers 13 individual ‘essentials’ training modules that provide workplaces tools to foster mental wellness. Topics range from depression and anxiety, to substance use and addictions, to trauma, to psychological health and safety.

    Urgent need for physio student placement –request from Dr. Jane Philpott

    The Physiotherapy Clinical Education Team at Queen’s is in the process of coordinating clinical placements for 2021. Learning opportunities have been hit hard by the impact of COVID-19 and they are now reaching out for support from clinical partners across the province.

    Does your team have a PT who could supervise a student? Read here to find out what’s required.

    Quality standard placemats- low back pain and osteoarthritis

    In response to feedback from primary care, Ontario Health (Quality) has shared a newly developed tool called the Quality Standard (QS) Placemat. The placemat is a quick-reference tool that concisely summarizes key information from its corresponding quality standard in an at-a-glance format.

    Since acute low back pain and osteoarthritis represent two of the most common clinical conditions in the primary care setting, their first placemats have focused on these. They’re posted on Quorum.

    They also have a list of tools and resources that support the implementation of quality standards related to pain and associated symptoms, including chronic pain, low back pain, and osteoarthritis.

    Recommendations for resuming spirometry, Supply Ontario & PPE, and more

    Updates recently released include:

    We continue to update several pages on our site with resources and news:

    Registered Respiratory Therapist job descriptions
    Respiratory Therapy Society of Ontario has recently released RRT job descriptions across multiple settings. They are now listed as a resource in our library of organizational policies & procedures page -Staff roles, recruitment and development.

    Race, Racism, And COVID-19: The Institute For Pandemics Inaugural Lecture, Nov. 24, 2020
    This panel will explore evidence and examine the implications for using policy and other strategies to dismantle structural racism.
    Learn more here.

    Increasing older adults’ access to care: Lessons learned from the pandemic response, Nov. 25, 2020
    In this webinar hosted by CAMH, Sara Bhatti , Alliance for Healthier Communities and Alvis Choi, Yet Keen Seniors’ Day Centre describe specific responses taken by CHCs to address the needs of older adults during the pandemic. Register here.

    Cultural Safety and Indigenous Partnership, Nov. 27, 2020
    Join the first webinar of this Virtual Learning Exchange in Primary Care series held by the Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement. Learn more here.

    End of Life with ALS and assisted non-invasive ventilation, Dec. 1, 2020
    This webinar is the first of a 3-part webinar series on End-of-Life. Learn more alongside the HPCO and Proresp starting on Dec. 1. Find out more here.

    Osgoode Professional Development, Oct. 5, 2020 – Apr 28, 2021
    AFHTO is partnering with York University’s OPD to provide members 10% off a variety of health law programs for professional development. For discount code and course offerings, click here.

     

  • QI in Action eBulletin #101: Primary Care Team Lessons and Patient & Provider Virtual Experience During COVID-19

    QI in Action eBulletin #101: Primary Care Team Lessons and Patient & Provider Virtual Experience During COVID-19

    In collaboration with the Alliance for Healthier Communities

    In this Issue:

    • Crossing Chasms: Primary Care Teams’ Response to COVID-19 Pandemic
    • Thank You for Sharing Your Teams’ Experiences During The COVID-19 Pandemic
    • Primary Care Patient/Client Virtual Care Experience Survey  
    • Primary Care Experience Surveys – Updated Version for OH QIPs
    • Provider virtual care experience survey
    • IHP experience during COVID-19
    • Coordinating Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Evaluation of Providers’ Perspectives of their Practices (The CONCEPT Study)
    • Survivors of Homicide Victims and Mental Health Project FOCUS GROUPS WITH SERVICE PROVIDERS
    • Upcoming Events

    Crossing Chasms: Primary Care Teams’ Response to COVID-19 Pandemic

    Crossing Chasms

    In July we asked teams to participate in an AFHTO Research Project to look at how teams stepped up during the pandemic and we received an overwhelming response. A special thank you to our teams for participating in this very important work!

    Click here to see a recap of how teams stepped up during the first wave of the pandemic and continue to do so. We have also recorded your experiences within a video!

    trillium day presentation 2020

    Thank You for Sharing Your Teams’ Experiences During The COVID-19 Pandemic

    We are sharing your experience! AFHTO along with our research partners presented at Trillium Research Day demonstrating the value of primary care teams’ response to COVID-19 and patients’ experience with virtual care. Please see the video for the poster presentation and visit our site to see the other research we presented!

     

    Primary Care Patient_Client Virtual Care Experience Survey

    Primary Care Patient/Client Virtual Care Experience Survey  
    In August, we launched the Primary Care Patient/Client Virtual Care Experience Survey for teams to implement in order to capture the patient experience with virtual care. Moving ahead we are collecting teams’ aggregate responses as we create a narrative of how virtual care could be permanently included in the patient care journey – submit your data here!

    Another option of patient experience data collection is to provide the survey link created by Women’s College Hospital Institute of Health Systems Solutions and Virtual Care (WIHV). WIHV is conducting a third-party evaluation of virtual care in the COVID-19 era on behalf of the Ontario Ministry of Health. If you would like to share your current virtual survey and results, please email Rebecca Liu – Rebecca.Liu@wchospital.ca.

    NOTE: Participation in this survey should only take 10-15 minutes and includes the option to enter a draw for one of four $50 gift cards to Amazon, the Bay or Shoppers Drug Mart. This data will go directly with WIHV and you will not have access to the data.  

    This research will be important as the Ministry looks at the future of virtual care – please spread the word and encourage your patients to participate!

    Primary Care Experience Surveys – Updated Version for OH QIPs
    We have heard from multiple teams that they would like to see an updated version of the Patient Experience Survey. We have had conversations with our partners about next steps as many of the questions within are aligned with QIPs. To do this update, there will be a thorough review of all current teams’ surveys. Please share your current survey with Sandeep Gill at Sandeep.gill@afhto.ca, to help support this important initiative!

    Provider virtual care experience survey
    Women’s College Hospital Institute of Health Systems Solutions and Virtual Care (WIHV) is conducting a third-party evaluation of virtual care in the COVID-19 era on behalf of the Ontario Ministry of Health, measuring the provider experience on virtual care. The objectives are to provide the Ontario Ministry of Health anonymous feedback on:

    • Health care Provider experiences with and preferences for virtual care during the pandemic;
    • The types and features of virtual services which provide the most value for health care providers;  
    • The clinical utility and appropriate uses of virtual services in Primary Care; and
    • Policy recommendations related to virtual care services in Primary Care for the provincial government.  

    You can participate in providing feedback by filling this short 10-15 mins online survey, which includes the opportunity to enter a draw to win one of four $50 electronic gift cares to the Bay, Shoppers Drug Mart or Amazon. Your participation will remain completely anonymous and confidential. Feel free to reach out to Jamie Fujioka (Jamie.fujioka@wchospital.ca) if you have any questions or concerns.

    This research will be important as the Ministry looks at the future of virtual care – please spread the word and we really encourage you to participate!

    IHP experience during COVID-19

    IHP experience during COVID-19

    At the beginning of COVID-19, Dr. Catherine Donnelly reached out to IHPs to hear their experience during the pandemic. You can review the findings from the earlier survey here. We are now seven months since the initial restrictions of COVID-19 and Queen’s University researchers are interested in hearing about your experiences working in Family Health Teams during this time. You are invited to participate in a brief web-based survey to understand the evolving experiences of interprofessional health care providers in Family Health Teams in Ontario during the COVID-19 pandemic. Complete the web-based survey here.

    Coordinating Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Evaluation of Providers’ Perspectives of their Practices (The CONCEPT Study)
    Researchers are writing to invite you to participate in an exciting research endeavour evaluating existing complex care programs within team-based care models, and how these programs have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study will evaluate providers’ perspectives on existing care coordination practices for patients with multiple comorbidities and adaptations made during the COVID-19 pandemic.  

    If you agree to participate in this study, you will be asked to complete an electronic survey which should take about 10 minutes to complete. You are asked to answer each question based on your opinion of the care coordination provided in your team before and during COVID-19. You may also seek clarification from your physicians, NPs or IHPs within your team in order to answer some of the questions.
     
    Your participation in this study is voluntary. You may decide not to be in this study, or to be in the study and then change your mind later. You may refuse to answer any question you do not want to answer. You may choose to end your participation at any time without having to provide a reason.

    Responses will be kept strictly confidential. No identifying information is being collected and only aggregate data will be presented or published.

    The survey can be accessed using this link:  The CONCEPT Study Survey
                                     
    Thank you for considering this request.  If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Joanne Permaul, Study Coordinator, at jpermaul@msh.on.ca or Dr. Donatus Mutasingwa, Principal Investigator, at dmutasingwa@msh.on.ca.

    Survivors of Homicide Victims and Mental Health Project FOCUS GROUPS WITH SERVICE PROVIDERS

    Led by The Centre for Research and Innovation for Black Survivors of Homicide Victims (The CRIB), the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, and the Canadian Mental Health Association Ontario (CMHA Ontario), the Survivors of Homicide Victims and Mental Health Project is exploring the impact of supporting surviving family members and friends of murdered victims (survivors), and the service providers (i.e. clinicians, law enforcement, legal services, medical professionals, etc.) that support them. They are recruiting for providers from the Brantford, Toronto, Thunder Bay, Ottawa, and Windsor regions.

    LINK TO REGISTER: SERVICE PROVIDER FOCUS GROUPS Or visit:https://serviceprovfocusgroups.eventbrite.ca

    If you have any questions, please contact Megan McPolland at megan.mcpolland@mail.utoronto.ca.

    Upcoming Events:
    Health Promotion Ontario conference
    Nov. 5- 26, 2020
    The Annual Health Promotion Ontario conference will be a free virtual experience this year. There will be a four-part webinar series on Health Promotion in a Global Pandemic in November. Find out more here.

    Employing Digital Health Tools During COVID-19 – and Beyond
    November 16, 2020 12:00 pm – 1:15 pm EST
    As part of Digital Health Week, eHealth Centre of Excellenc will be hosting a webcast/webinar that provides a comprehensive overview of how their suite of digital health tools can be used during COVID-19 and beyond.
    You’ll have an opportunity to learn more about their innovative EMR decision support tools, virtual visit platforms, Ontario eServices Program (eReferral & eConsult), eCE Automates “bots”, tablets, and ePrescribing, as well as hear from a primary care physician on how these tools have impacted his practice.
    Please join Ted Alexander, VP of Partnerships and Clinical Innovation, for this webinar (with an interactive Q&A session to follow). Register here.

    2020 CMHO Virtual Conference
    Nov 23-Dec 4
    Register today for 2020 CMHO Virtual Conference sessions. They’re covering the latest in innovating and advancing child and youth mental health, with short, engaging sessions and leading speakers spread over two weeks. Click here to find out more.

    Virtual Learning Exchange in Virtual Primary Care
    The virtual learning exchange will be delivered in three 90-minute webinars and will focus on the following identified priority topics within the overarching theme of virtual primary care:

    • Cultural Safety and Indigenous Partnership (November 27, 2020, 1:30-3:00pm ET)
    • Enhancing Equity and Access (January 29, 2021, 1:30-3:00pm ET)
    • Patient and Family Centred Care (March 5, 2021, 1:30-3:00pm ET)

    To find out more information please click here.

    Interested in sharing your teams’ initiatives in a future webinar? Email Sandeep Gill – Sandeep.gill@afhto.ca to learn more about the AFHTO KTE Webinar Schedule!

    In Case You Missed It: Check out eBulletin #100 or other back issues here!
    Questions? Comments? Contact us at improve@afhto.ca.

     

  • Bits & Pieces: always open, updated primary care guidance and more

    Bits & Pieces: always open, updated primary care guidance and more

    Your Weekly News & Updates

    In This Issue  
    • We may be working differently, but we never stopped working
    • Celebrating Nurse Practitioner Week
    • Designing integrated care and indicators for older persons’ health services
    • QSC patient advisor needed
    • 2020 Ontario Budget overview
    • Updated primary care guidance and more
    • Diabetes Awareness Month
    • Upcoming events on advancing diversity and inclusion and more

    We may be working differently, but we never stopped working

    As part of our ongoing efforts to promote primary care stepping up during the pandemic, we have partnered with OCFP and SGFP on their latest campaign to your availability in your communities. Here’s the information sheet, which partners have already started sharing on social media. Please share widely with your own patients and communities.

    We are also collecting your flu vaccine success stories as well as any fall COVID Wave 2 initiatives your teams are doing so please share those (with pictures if you have them) so we can use them in our advocacy work with the government.  #PrimaryCareAlwaysThere

    Essex County NPLC

    Celebrating Nurse Practitioner Week

    This week, we’d like to recognize the important work of NPs in primary care teams. No matter the team, whether it be FHTs, NPLCs, CHCs or other, nurse practitioners are truly invaluable in providing comprehensive care to Ontarians. Thank you to our NP team members!

     

     

     

    Designing integrated care and indicators for older persons’ health services

    The Provincial Geriatrics Leadership Office has recently provided two important updates:

    QSC patient advisor needed

    Involving patients as partners on our Quality Steering Committee (QSC) is integral to advance best practice and optimize performance measurement capacity across team based primary care and ensuring we meet the needs of patients, caregivers, and their families.

    We are seeking individuals who can see beyond their personal experience and share insights around quality improvement for team-based primary care. If you have a patient that you believe would be interested, please read here.

    2020 Ontario Budget overview
    On Thursday, Nov. 5 the PC government released their 2020 Ontario Budget entitled “Ontario’s Action Plan: Protect, Support, Recover”.

    Investments in health mainly centred on the Long-Term Care and hospital sectors and focused mainly on strengthening the Ontario healthcare system’s pandemic response. Here is a brief prepared by AFHTO on the budget and the announcements and investments being committed.

    Unfortunately, there were no announcements made to support primary care, team-based primary care or any additional supports to mental health and addictions beyond what was already announced.

    We will continue to work with our partners and advocating around the importance of primary care in the pandemic response and the integral role the sector plays in supporting the most vulnerable populations.

    Updated primary care guidance and more

    Updates recently released include:

    We continue to update several pages on our site with resources and news:

    Diabetes Awareness Month
    November is Diabetes Awareness Month, and Wounds Canada has organised a national social media campaign to #EndDiabetes and #PreventAmputations. Teams can get engaged by use pre-made posts created by Wounds Canada or create your own using the hashtags provided. A campaign activation kit, social media content, and infographics can be seen here.  You could also send a jpeg of your logo to katie.bassett@woundscanada.ca to be included on their website and in other communications.

    Governance Master Class: Advancing Diversity and Inclusion, Nov. 12, 2020
    Miller Thomson Health Industry Group is holding a Special Edition of their Health Industry Directors Series. It’s also free! Find out more here.

    COVID-19 Community of Practice for Ontario Family Physicians, Nov. 13, 2020

    The eleventh in the series on “Supporting patients with COVID-19, evolving guidance, fatigue and more”. Register here.

    Diabetes Care and Management for Ontario, Nov. 12, 2020

    This HeathcareRounds virtual event will be a discussion with leaders devoted to the health and care of those living with diabetes to discuss next steps and action items.
    Find out more here.

    COVID-19 Preparedness and Management in Primary Care, Nov. 13, 2020
    Public Health Ontario (PHO) is holding a webinar to introduce primary care stakeholders to the new PHO Checklist: COVID-19: Infection Prevention and Control Assessment for Primary Care Facilities. Register here.

    Cultural Safety and Indigenous Partnership, Nov. 27, 2020
    Join the first webinar of this Virtual Learning Exchange in Primary Care series held by the Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement. Learn more here.

    Race, Racism, And COVID-19: The Institute For Pandemics Inaugural Lecture, Nov. 24, 2020
    This panel will explore evidence and examine the implications for using policy and other strategies to dismantle structural racism.
    Learn more here.

  • Annual Report 2020 (Tectonic Shifts: Rebuilding Primary Care in a New World)

    2020 has been a year of change unlike anything we could have anticipated. 

    Teams were working with local partners to restructure how health care is delivered in their regions: to make it seamless, integrated, and patient centred. That work paused when a pandemic struck. Every healthcare team in Ontario redirected their focus to the challenges at hand.  

    Transitions to virtual care happened within 48 hours, and learning to adapt continues. From acquiring and wearing personal protective equipment to managing office operations, transitions to a new normal are ongoing.

    Gaps in our healthcare system have also been exposed. From the need for permanent virtual care to addressing health inequities to the importance of trusting relationships, particularly during times of fear and uncertainty. We have an opportunity to address this, and there is a pivot in primary care delivery underway.

    The AFHTO 2020 Annual Report is about our members who pivoted quickly to deliver exceptional care in exceptional circumstances, and the supports AFHTO has worked to provide.

  • Hybrid model of pharmacist services in a large multisite family health team

    Research paper published in The Canadian Pharmacists Journal

    September/October 2020

    Introduction

     

    The pharmacist role, especially in team-based primary care, has evolved tremendously over the past several years. The North York Family Health Team (NYFHT) is an urban family health team serving patients in the northern part of Toronto and surrounding areas. Since its inception in 2008, NYFHT has seen an increasing number of physicians and patients and, subsequently, an increase in staff, including pharmacists, over the years as a direct result of referral volume. There have been 3 full-time pharmacists since 2013 to provide clinical and other professional pharmacist services.

    Pharmacist services at the NYFHT encompass a wide range of activities, including but not limited to providing drug information, offering pharmacotherapy consults, conducting medication reviews, supporting various FHT-wide chronic disease management programs, participating in quality improvement initiatives, assisting with data standardization and conducting practice-based research.

    The pharmacists are also involved in teaching and precepting medical and pharmacy learners at various levels of education. Teaching occurs via small group seminars as well as large lectures. Precepting occurs 1:1 with pharmacy students and residents.

    The pharmacist role at the NYFHT is similar to others in primary care, but the provision of pharmacist services and how it is done is unique compared to what is often described in the literature. Developing the role of the pharmacist at the NYFHT has had some challenges, due to the size of the organization, which is composed of 90 physicians, 40 interprofessional health care providers and over 85,000 patients. The NYFHT physician offices are spread over 20 physical sites across North York, with 1 central interprofessional health office. The interprofessional health care providers include registered pharmacists, registered nurses, registered dietitians, social workers

    Authors:

    • Christine Truong, Rita Ha and Eric Lui, North York FHT

    Relevant Links: