Ultimate Blogging Championship

Tag: Mental Health Care

  • Bits & Pieces: new LeaderShift webinars, mental health & addiction QI video & more

    Bits & Pieces: new LeaderShift webinars, mental health & addiction QI video & more

    Your Weekly News & Updates

    In This Issue  
    • New webinars in LeaderShift Applied Leadership E-Learning Series
    • Mental Health and Addiction QI Collaborative Webinar Series Part 2 slides and video
    • Primary Care Virtual Community
    • Transitions between hospital and home quality standard and Alternative Levels of Care
    • Opportunity to join Prenatal Screening Ontario Advisory Committee
    • Upcoming events including NP online conference and more

    New webinars in LeaderShift Applied Leadership E-Learning Series

    Want practical, in-the-trenches insights and skills to help you lead more effectively and enhance your impact? Too busy to get out of the workplace to get them? LeaderShift’s Applied Leadership E-Learning Series is the answer.

    • Short, laser-focused learning on key leadership topics
    • Practical, actionable insights you can use right away
    • Live, interactive online format

    How to Lead With Agility–New!: Leaders today are being called on more and more to navigate the ever-increasing ebb and flow between strategy and operations. The “shelf life” of strategies has been reduced from what used to be the standard of 3-5 years to constantly adapting and adjusting to keep pace with stakeholder demands and current socio-political realities. This topic is especially pertinent for those in the healthcare sector who are now constantly navigating current systems transformation.

    Multiple timeslots available! To learn more, register for free or view previous recordings in this series, visit their website today.

    mental health and addiction qi part 2

    Mental Health and Addiction QI Collaborative Webinar Series Part 2 slides and video

    On Jan. 14, CMHA, AMHO, and AFHTO held the second of a 4-part webinar series on community and primary care QI projects and initiatives with a focus on mental health and addiction. Presenters:

    • Opioid stewardship: implementing pharmacist led assessments for patients co-prescribed opioids and benzodiazepines at an academic family health team – St. Michael’s Hospital Academic FHT
    • BounceBack continues to significantly reduce percentage of participants who withdrew or become unreachable after assessment – CMHA York South Simcoe

    Slides and video are now available on our site.

    primary care virtual community with org logos

    Primary Care Virtual Community

    Space and opportunity to learn, engage and propel meaningful improvements

    The Primary Care Virtual Community brings together leaders in primary care interested in enabling meaningful system change. The virtual community is a collaboration developed by the OCFP and AFHTO and convened by The Change Foundation.

    Join the Community to access past webinar recordings and plan to attend the next webinar on February 13.

    Transitions between hospital and home quality standard and Alternative Levels of Care
    Ontario Health (Quality) has released a new quality standard for transitions between hospital and home. It comes with a patient guide and recommendations for system adoption too. Questions? Contact QualityStandards@HQOntario.ca.  

    And in related news, Continuum Santé has a free webinar on Feb. 5 at 1:00 p.m., ALC in healthcare: Identify, Reduce and Optimize.

    BORN EOI Jan 2020

     

    Opportunity to join Prenatal Screening Ontario Advisory Committee

    BORN Ontario is seeking family physicians with a special interest in prenatal care for the Prenatal Screening Ontario Advisory Committee.

    For more information email PSO@BORNOntario.ca. Deadline Jan. 31, 2020.

     

    See poster pdf.

    Creating Accessible Health Care: Sharing Resources and Lessons Learned, Jan. 23, 2020
    Health Care Access Research and Developmental Disabilities webinar focused on tools to help adults with developmental disabilities become more involved in their health care visits, and to improve communication with health care providers. Register today.

    Transitioning NP Research to Practice, Jan. 24, 2020
    NP Global Initiatives Annual Online Conference. Network in the comfort of your own home or office. Register now.

    Your Patients Are Using Cannabis: Here’s What You Need To Know Conference, Feb 28, 2020
    NPAO’s conference held for primary care providers will help you gain a better understanding of medicinal cannabis. Learn more here.

    ECHO Child and Youth Mental Health, Feb. 2020
    Registration for the winter cycle is now open, with new sessions starting in February. Register now.

    Capstone Summit, May 4-5, 2020
    Conference hosted by the Change Foundation to showcase their work with caregivers and formally introduce their new strategic focus. Find out more here.

  • QI in Action eBulletin #94: Quality and Measurement New Beginnings

    QI in Action eBulletin #94: Quality and Measurement New Beginnings

    In this issue

    • Moving Forward with AFHTO’s Quality Agenda
    • Formation of the Quality Improvement in Primary Care Council
    • Mental Health and Addictions Support
    • Support for Teams
    • Tools and Resources (including standardized EMR queries)
    • Webinar videos and slides (including opioid stewardship)
    • Workshops, events and presentations (including focus on follow up)
    • Upcoming Webinars

    Moving Forward with AFHTO’s Quality Agenda

    2019 was a challenging and busy year with ongoing health system transformation changes along with changes to the QI program at AFHTO. Despite the sunset of D2D, AFHTO will continue its efforts to support teams in the field of quality and demonstrate the value of team-based primary care.

    Quality improvement remains a key focus, and AFHTO’s Quality Steering Committee (QSC), in partnership with key stakeholders, is currently working on a priority list and areas of focus for this year. As we begin this new year, we wanted to provide you with a wrap-up of 2019 along with resources that will help projects this year.

    If you would like to share a tool, resource or highlight a successful program or service in your team, we would love to hear from you! Please fill out this quick survey.

    Formation of the Quality Improvement in Primary Care Council

    In January of 2019, the Quality Improvement in Primary Care (QI in PC) Council was formed. The QI in PC council consists of 5 appointed QIDSS and QIDSS-like individuals with the goal to support the QIDSS Community of Practice (CoP) and strengthen collective QI capacity across the sector.

    The priority areas for the group are primary care QI priorities, EMR queries and much more. eCE has partnered with AFHTO to help support this council in areas such as 7-day post-hospital discharge follow up.

    The members of the council include:

    • Cameron Berry, QIDSS, Kawartha North FHT
    • Abigail Scott, Data and Quality Improvement Analyst, Queen’s FHT
    • Brice Wong, QIDSS, Windsor FHT
    • Mitch Chartier, QIDSS, Elliot Lake FHT
    • David Raan, QIDSS, Humber River FHT

    Contact the council by emailing: qiprimarycouncil@emaildodo.com.  

    Mental Health and Addictions Support

    AFHTO continues to advocate for more supports in primary care, especially as it pertains to ensuring more patients have access to team-based care, in particular in the areas of mental health and care coordination. This year, the Mental Health and Addictions webinar series in collaboration with CMHA & AMHO will continue and you can participate in the remaining 3 parts.

    AFHTO, along with our mental health and addictions and primary care partners, is co-leading the development of a OHT Guidebook for Mental Health and Addictions and Primary Care Integration which will be helpful not only to those teams that are moving forward with OHTs in their community but will also be helpful with program planning at the local level.

    We are also partnering with other organizations like OntarioMD, Ontario Health, CEP, eCE, OCFP, ECHO project and the Ontario Pain Management Resources (OPMR) group partners to help support a learning collaborative for the NorthWest LHIN addressing opioids prescribing.

    The Algorithm Project team at AFHTO is in the final stage of completing a MEQ tool/query that will be compatible with OSCAR, Telus PS and Accuro. If you’re interested in piloting these tools, please reach out to us at improve@afhto.ca.

    Support for Teams:

    AFHTO has a library of resources that you may find helpful in developing your programs and services and with your Quality Improvement Plan. As always, if you have an innovation you want to share please let us know, by completing this quick survey.

    Measuring tape

    Tools and Resources:

    We have so many tools and resources available for members, but since they have been announced throughout the

    years, we thought a refresher would be welcome, especially since we know you’re exposed to so much information every day.

    Just a reminder that in our Dec. 17 communique we provided you a comprehensive list of Governance and Leadership tools, resources and training. .

     

    Below are measurement and quality-related tools, resources, slides and videos. You can flag these emails or bookmark the related posts, so they’ll be easy to find for future reference.

    Webinars:

     

    Business chart

    Workshops, Events and Presentations

     

    Upcoming Webinars:

    If you have a suggestion for a webinar/QI in Action eBulletin topic or if you would highlight a tool, resource, successful program and/or innovation please let us know by filling out this quick survey.

    In Case You Missed It: Check out eBulletin #93 or other back issues here!
    Questions? Comments? Contact us at improve@afhto.ca.

  • Bits & Pieces: In year reconciliation materials, mental health and addiction QI collaborative webinar & more

    Your Weekly News & Updates

    In This Issue  
    • In-year reconciliation deadline webcast slides and video
    • Mental health and addiction QI collaborative webinar
    • Increasing access to patients through virtual care visits slides and video
    • Measuring Up 2019
    • The Unnecessary Conference – Choosing Wisely Canada’s National Meeting
    • Opportunity with Geriatric Mental Health Education Network on Jan 24
    • Upcoming events on preparing for audits and more

    In-year reconciliation deadline webcast slides and video

    In-year reconciliation deadline webcast

     

    On Monday, December 16, a webcast was held with the ministry to discuss submission of the year-end expenditure forecast and resulting in-year surplus. The presentation, recording and Qs and As are now posted on our website.

    If you’d like to make a voluntary contribution to AFHTO, please contact accounts@afhto.ca for an invoice and set up for EFT if preferred.

     

    Mental health and addiction QI collaborative webinar

    Join CMHA, AMHO, and AFHTO on Jan. 14 for a second of a 4-part webinar series on community and primary care QI projects and initiatives with a focus on mental health and addictions.

    In preparation for Ontario Health Teams, learn about opportunities for collaboration with your local mental health and addiction agencies and how to implement quality improvement initiatives. You can also see the recording and slides from the first webinar in June.

    Increasing access to patients through virtual care visits slides and video

    Increasing access to patients through virtual care webinar

    On Dec. 10, AFHTO hosted a webinar featuring Minto Mapleton and Peterborough FHTs’ focus on virtual care.

    Minto Mapleton is 4th out of 125 FHTs in the use of eVisits with the most referrals for respirology and psychiatry. And Peterborough has been supporting unattached patients since August 2018 through their Virtual Care Clinic (VCC) in Peterborough and a NP run PFHT Clinic in Lakefield that supports rural unattached patients and seasonal visitors.

    Visit our site to see the slides and video.

    Measuring Up 2019

    Health Quality Ontario, now the Quality Business Unit of Ontario Health, has released Measuring Up 2019 — a yearly report on the performance of Ontario’s health system. This year’s report, with Bright Lights award winner Dr. Paul Gill, Maitland Valley FHT on the cover, focuses on a set of 10 key indicators and is based on the Quadruple Aim of health care improvement: better health outcomes, better patient experience, better provider experience, and better value and efficiency.

    Findings include:

    • About 69% of Ontarians say the timing to see their primary care provider when they were sick or had a health problem was “about right.” About 17% say their wait was “somewhat long” and about 13% say it was “much too long.”
    • In a 2019 survey, 54% of primary care doctors in Ontario reported that their job was “extremely” or “very” stressful, while 37% said it was “somewhat” stressful.
    • Ontarians’ life expectancy is flattening, mainly due to a steep increase in opioid-related deaths.

    Find out more here.

    The Unnecessary Conference – Choosing Wisely Canada’s National Meeting
    There’s a fine line between what is necessary and unnecessary in health care. The Unnecessary Conference will explore the nuanced ways in which overuse permeates health care delivery and what people are doing about it.

    The Unnecessary Conference takes place on May 25 and 26, 2020 at the Shaw Centre in Ottawa, Ontario and is hosted by Choosing Wisely Canada, in collaboration with the Canadian Medical Association. You can get involved by submitting an abstract to be considered in their interactive breakout sessions. For more details, visit their site.

    Opportunity with Geriatric Mental Health Education Network on Jan 24
    Geriatric Mental Health Education Network, Baycrest has a gap in their schedule on January 24, 2020. They’d be happy to facilitate if any external site would like to present a challenging case.

    Also, if individuals would like to forward clinical challenges, or send questions about geriatric mental health, they could have an interprofessional panel to discuss, with everyone’s input. For details, please contact Anna Virdo or Cindy Grief, Geriatric Psychiatrist, Medical Director for Mental Health, Baycrest.

    Preparing for Audits, Jan. 15, 2020
    Register early for AFHTO’s upcoming Financial Webinar Series session. Learn how to prepare for audit season. Register now!

    Unlocking the Future Of Healthcare: Digital Health Forum, Jan. 25, 2020
    Attend the Lung Association’s First Digital Health Forum online, for free. Learn more here.

    Holiday hours 2019

  • Bits & Pieces: In year reconciliation materials, mental health and addiction QI collaborative webinar & more

    Bits & Pieces: In year reconciliation materials, mental health and addiction QI collaborative webinar & more

    Your Weekly News & Updates

    In This Issue  
    • In-year reconciliation deadline webcast slides and video
    • Mental health and addiction QI collaborative webinar
    • Increasing access to patients through virtual care visits slides and video
    • Measuring Up 2019
    • The Unnecessary Conference – Choosing Wisely Canada’s National Meeting
    • Opportunity with Geriatric Mental Health Education Network on Jan 24
    • Upcoming events on preparing for audits and more

    In-year reconciliation deadline webcast slides and video

    In-year reconciliation deadline webcast

     

    On Monday, December 16, a webcast was held with the ministry to discuss submission of the year-end expenditure forecast and resulting in-year surplus. The presentation, recording and Qs and As are now posted on our website.

    If you’d like to make a voluntary contribution to AFHTO, please contact accounts@afhto.ca for an invoice and set up for EFT if preferred.

     

    Mental health and addiction QI collaborative webinar

    Join CMHA, AMHO, and AFHTO on Jan. 14 for a second of a 4-part webinar series on community and primary care QI projects and initiatives with a focus on mental health and addictions.

    In preparation for Ontario Health Teams, learn about opportunities for collaboration with your local mental health and addiction agencies and how to implement quality improvement initiatives. You can also see the recording and slides from the first webinar in June.

    Increasing access to patients through virtual care visits slides and video

    Increasing access to patients through virtual care webinar

    On Dec. 10, AFHTO hosted a webinar featuring Minto Mapleton and Peterborough FHTs’ focus on virtual care.

    Minto Mapleton is 4th out of 125 FHTs in the use of eVisits with the most referrals for respirology and psychiatry. And Peterborough has been supporting unattached patients since August 2018 through their Virtual Care Clinic (VCC) in Peterborough and a NP run PFHT Clinic in Lakefield that supports rural unattached patients and seasonal visitors.

    Visit our site to see the slides and video.

    Measuring Up 2019

    Health Quality Ontario, now the Quality Business Unit of Ontario Health, has released Measuring Up 2019 — a yearly report on the performance of Ontario’s health system. This year’s report, with Bright Lights award winner Dr. Paul Gill, Maitland Valley FHT on the cover, focuses on a set of 10 key indicators and is based on the Quadruple Aim of health care improvement: better health outcomes, better patient experience, better provider experience, and better value and efficiency.

    Findings include:

    • About 69% of Ontarians say the timing to see their primary care provider when they were sick or had a health problem was “about right.” About 17% say their wait was “somewhat long” and about 13% say it was “much too long.”
    • In a 2019 survey, 54% of primary care doctors in Ontario reported that their job was “extremely” or “very” stressful, while 37% said it was “somewhat” stressful.
    • Ontarians’ life expectancy is flattening, mainly due to a steep increase in opioid-related deaths.

    Find out more here.

    The Unnecessary Conference – Choosing Wisely Canada’s National Meeting
    There’s a fine line between what is necessary and unnecessary in health care. The Unnecessary Conference will explore the nuanced ways in which overuse permeates health care delivery and what people are doing about it.

    The Unnecessary Conference takes place on May 25 and 26, 2020 at the Shaw Centre in Ottawa, Ontario and is hosted by Choosing Wisely Canada, in collaboration with the Canadian Medical Association. You can get involved by submitting an abstract to be considered in their interactive breakout sessions. For more details, visit their site.

    Opportunity with Geriatric Mental Health Education Network on Jan 24
    Geriatric Mental Health Education Network, Baycrest has a gap in their schedule on January 24, 2020. They’d be happy to facilitate if any external site would like to present a challenging case.

    Also, if individuals would like to forward clinical challenges, or send questions about geriatric mental health, they could have an interprofessional panel to discuss, with everyone’s input. For details, please contact Anna Virdo or Cindy Grief, Geriatric Psychiatrist, Medical Director for Mental Health, Baycrest.

    Preparing for Audits, Jan. 15, 2020
    Register early for AFHTO’s upcoming Financial Webinar Series session. Learn how to prepare for audit season. Register now!

    Unlocking the Future Of Healthcare: Digital Health Forum, Jan. 25, 2020
    Attend the Lung Association’s First Digital Health Forum online, for free. Learn more here.

    Holiday hours 2019

  • Bits & Pieces: Ontario Health transfers, treating Adult Major Depressive Disorder & more

    Bits & Pieces: Ontario Health transfers, treating Adult Major Depressive Disorder & more

    Your Weekly News & Updates

    In This Issue  
    • Upcoming transfers to Ontario Health & LHIN transitional regions
    • A webcast for IHPs: OHTs and health system transformation slides and video
    • Care for survivors of blood or marrow transplant therapy
    • Treatment of Adult Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) Tool
    • 2019 spotlight on caregivers and a new helpline
    • Upcoming events on cyber security, the global AIDS crisis and more

    Upcoming transfers to Ontario Health & LHIN transitional regions
    On Nov. 13, Interim CEO of Ontario Health, Susan Fitzpatrick, sent an update on activities underway with the health agency. Transfer orders were issued by the Honourable Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, to Cancer Care Ontario, eHealth Ontario, HealthForceOntario Marketing and Recruitment Agency, Health Shared Services Ontario, and Ontario Health Quality Council operating as Health Quality Ontario.

    The transfer orders list December 2, 2019 as the day they will transfer to Ontario Health. Transition of the LHINs will occur at a later date.

    You can find all of the transfer orders on the ministry’s website and Ontario Health’s new website, www.ontariohealth.ca.

    Ontario Health has also aligned the 14 LHINs to five interim and transitional regions. This is not a merger of the LHIN boundaries. Effective November 13, five LHIN CEOs have been appointed as Transitional Regional Leads reporting to the Interim CEO of Ontario Health. Read the full memo on our site.

    ihp oht webinar nov 14 2019

    A webcast for IHPs: OHTs and health system transformation slides and video
    On Nov. 14 IHPs joined a webcast that was organised to help answer questions and to learn about the work being done at this time of change. It was an overview of OHTs, an update from the ministry, and an opportunity to hear from members who are part of OHTs that are proceeding to full application, especially those OHTs that have included close collaboration with IHPs. Slides and video are now available on our site.

    Care for survivors of blood or marrow transplant therapy
    Stem cell transplant is an important treatment for some types of cancer, but it can also increase future health risks.  Long-term follow-up care involves all members of the patient’s health team. Patients commonly need updated immunizations and regular monitoring for cardiovascular risk factors and screening for secondary cancers.

    Please visit the Cancer Care Ontario Survivorship Care after Stem Cell Transplant website to learn more about this unique patient population and find patient education materials.

    Treatment of Adult Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) Tool
    About 7% of Canadians meet the diagnostic criteria for adult major depressive disorder (MDD). The Centre for Effective Practice (CEP) recently developed the Treatment of Adult Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) Tool to help.

    As a highly requested topic by providers, this tool can support primary care providers in treating adult patients (≥ 18 years) who have major depressive disorder. The tool covers treatment options for MDD, which involve psychotherapy and/or pharmacotherapy, as well as complementary and alternative options. The MDD Tool is one of several clinical tools developed as part of the Knowledge Translation in Primary Care Initiative.

    2019 spotlight on caregivers

    2019 spotlight on caregivers and a new helpline

    The Change Foundation has released the second annual Spotlight on Ontario’s Caregivers, done for the first time in partnership with The Ontario Caregiver Organization. Highlights include:

    • While similar numbers of caregivers are involved in organizing care, in 2019 56% of caregivers find the process difficult, compared to only 39% in 2018.
    • The impact on finances is more pronounced in 2019 – 32% said they had faced financial hardships compared to 22% in 2018.
    • Emotional counselling for both the patient and the caregiver is still one area where more support is needed, with 77% of caregivers wishing for a ‘one-stop-shop’ that they can turn to for help and advice.

    To address this last point The Ontario Caregiver Organization recently launched the Caregiver Helpline – a 24/7 resource that caregivers can call or engage in a live chat between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m., Monday to Friday, to find local supports, get information about caregiving and get other important knowledge that caregivers said they need.

    Cyber Security and Data Breaches- How Vulnerable are you? Nov. 20, 2019
    The next Financial Webinar Series webcast co-hosted by AFHTO and Grant Thornton LLP is tomorrow! Join us for an hour on data, cyber security and policies and procedures to mitigate possible issues. Register today!

    Family Medicine, Holistic Care And The Ongoing Global AIDS Crisis, Nov. 26, 2019
    Join Dr. Jane Philpott and Stephen Lewis as they discuss HIV & AIDs care from their unique perspectives. Session will be held in Toronto. Learn more here.

    The Digital Health Toolbox: Enabling High-Performance Teams In The Delivery Of Integrated, Patient-Centred Care Webinar, Nov. 28, 2019
    Learn how to implement digital health tools within your teams after participating in this webinar co-hosted by AFHTO and the eHealth Centre of Excellence (eCE). Register today!

    Transitioning NP Research to Practice Conference, Jan 24, 2020
    Early Bird Registration for NP Global Initiatives’ online NP conference ends next week. Participate in this new organization’s convenient online conference by NPs, for NPs. Learn more here.

  • Care plans reduce risk of ending up in hospital for patients with severe mental illness: study

    The chances of a patient with a serious mental illness ending up in hospital because of their condition are reduced by almost 40 per cent if they have a care plan, according to the research.

    The study, which tracked 20,000 patients with a severe mental illness through the healthcare system, also found that seeing the same GP reduced the risk of an unplanned hospital admission by around 25 per cent.

    The findings demonstrate the importance of continuity of care at the GP’s for improving health outcomes for patients with a severe mental illness, the authors of the study say.

    Abstract

    Objective: To  investigate  whether  continuity  of  care  in  family  practice  reduces  un-planned hospital use for people with serious mental illness (SMI).Data Sources: Linked administrative data on family practice and hospital utilization by people with SMI in England, 2007-2014.

    Study  Design:  This  observational  cohort  study  used  discrete-time  survival  analy-sis  to  investigate  the  relationship  between  continuity  of  care  in  family  practice  and  unplanned  hospital  use:  emergency  department  (ED)  presentations,  and  unplanned  admissions  for  SMI  and  ambulatory  care-sensitive  conditions  (ACSC).  The  analysis  distinguishes between relational continuity and management/ informational continu-ity (as captured by care plans) and accounts for unobserved confounding by examin-ing deviation from long-term averages.Data Collection/Extraction Methods: Individual-level family practice administrative data linked to hospital administrative data.

    Principal  Findings:  Higher  relational  continuity  was  associated  with  8-11  percent  lower risk of ED presentation and 23-27 percent lower risk of ACSC admissions. Care plans  were  associated  with  29  percent  lower  risk  of  ED  presentation,  39  percent  lower risk of SMI admissions, and 32 percent lower risk of ACSC admissions.

    Conclusions: Family practice continuity of care can reduce unplanned hospital use for physical and mental health of people with SMI.

    Relevant Links:

  • QI in Action eBulletin #90: Dementia

    QI in Action eBulletin #90: Dementia

    In this issue

    •  What is dementia?
    • What’s the difference between Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia?
    • Programs and Initiatives supporting Primary Care Health
    • Support Services for Patients and Caregivers
    • Upcoming QI Events

    What is dementia?
    Dementia isn’t a natural part of aging, as it’s an abnormal degeneration of the brain which causes changes in an individual’s ability to think, speak, socialize and participate in daily activities1. Dementia is a medical term used to describe a set of symptoms affecting brain function that are caused by neurodegenerative and vascular diseases or injuries such as Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, Lewy Body disease, head trauma and more2,3.

    Symptoms of dementia can include1,2,3:

    • Memory loss
    • Difficulty with thinking, problem-solving or language
    • Awareness of person, place and time can be impacted
    • Loss of understanding and judgement
    • Changes in how the individual expresses their emotions
    • Changes in personality
    • Problems coping with day to day activities
    • Problems with socializing

    419,000 Canadians of the age 65 years and older are living with a diagnosis of dementia of which almost two thirds are women2. Within Ontario, 111,000 individuals live with dementia of which many reside in the community with complex care needs; this number has increased by 46% between 2009/10 and 2015/164.

    What’s the difference between Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia?

    http://trinitybrainhealth.com/#/lightbox&slide=15

    The material was created by Dr. Sabina Brennan of Trinity College Dublin and Trinity Brain Health with financial support from GENIO. © 2017 Trinity Brain Health. Permission to use this material was granted by Trinity Brain Health (trinitybrainhealth.com) which reserves all rights in the material.

    Programs and Initiatives supporting Primary Care Health

    2 out of 5 Canadian doctors feel well-prepared to manage community dementia care; however, with the growing number of individuals being diagnosed with dementia it’s crucial to be aware of the supports available5.

    • A physician, Nurse Practitioner or any IHP can make a referral to First Link, a program designed to help connect individuals newly diagnosed with dementia and their families/caregivers to Alzheimer Society for services and support
    • Multispecialty Interprofessional Team (MINT) Memory Clinics offer clinicians training through a standardized nationally accredited training program. There are over 100 MINT Memory Clinics across Ontario – a special congratulations to AFHTO member Centre for Family Medicine FHT’s Dr. Linda Lee who recently received a 2019 Joule Innovation Grant Award that will allow for the MINT clinics to continue to scale up
    • The Rural Dementia and Action Research (RaDAR) Team is a research team from three provinces (Saskatchewan, Alberta and Ontario) and the United Kingdom with a goal to improve healthcare delivery to people with people with mild cognitive and dementia and their caregivers in rural and remote communities
    • Mount Sinai Hospital has also designed a Dementia Toolkit for Primary Care which includes resources specific to primary care such as assessment and screening tools, medication management, driving safety and much more
    • Centre of Effective Practice has created the Use of Antipsychotics in Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD) Tool
    • HQO has previously created Dementia Quality Standard which addresses care for community-dwelling people living with dementia
    • A list has been put together by the Alzheimer Society with multiple avenues of professional development in terms of caring for individuals with dementia
    • A list of tools to assess pain levels for healthcare professionals have been put together by the Alzheimer society
    • eConsult is a secure web-based tool that allows a physician or nurse practitioner timely access to specialist advice, including psychologists, and often eliminates the need for an in-person specialist visit
    • SwitchRx is a website that aims to provide healthcare professionals with the most current and useful information to guide their clinical practice when adjusting their patient’s psychotropic treatment regimens
    • eHealth centre of excellence community portal always has some tools being released that can be translated into your EMR!

    Support Services for Patients and Caregivers

    • HQO has developed a Patient Reference Guide with questions patients can ask their caregivers
    • Dementia Advocacy and Support Network (DASN) is a worldwide online organization for those diagnosed with dementia working together to improve their quality of life  
    • There are support groups for families and friends of individuals diagnosed with dementia offered by the Alzheimer Society  
    • Mount Sinai Hospital has put together a list of caregiver support services available within Ontario
    • A range of brochures and publications can be found for both patients and caregivers on the Alzheimer Society website

    Upcoming QI Events:

    References:

    1. Dementia in Older Adults. https://camh.ca/en/health-info/guides-and-publications/dementia-in-older-adults.
    2. “What Is Dementia?” Alzheimer Society of Canada, https://alzheimer.ca/en/Home/About-dementia/What-is-dementia.
    3. Let’s make our health system healthier. “Evidence to Improve Care.” Behavioural Symptoms of Dementia – Health Quality Ontario (HQO), https://www.hqontario.ca/Evidence-to-Improve-Care/Quality-Standards/View-all-Quality-Standards/Behavioural-Symptoms-of-Dementia.
    4. Spotlight on Dementia Issues | CIHI. https://www.cihi.ca/en/dementia-in-canada/spotlight-on-dementia-issues.

    In Case You Missed It: Check out eBulletin #89 or other back issues here!
    Questions? Comments? Contact us at improve@afhto.ca.

  • Bits & Pieces: Patient Digital IAA deadline extended, free conference registration & more

    Bits & Pieces: Patient Digital IAA deadline extended, free conference registration & more

    Your Weekly News & Updates

    In this Issue:  
    • Patient digital IAA application deadline extended
    • Free conference registration and deadlines starting Aug. 19
    • Project ECHO Ontario Mental Health: free professional development opportunity
    • Upcoming events regarding governance and more

    Patient digital IAA application deadline extended
    On July 16, we shared the Ministry of Health’s call to submit applications for establishing a public-facing digital identity, authentication and authorization (IAA) service for patients in Ontario’s health system.

    The application deadline has been extended to August 16, 2019 at 12pm EST, and there is now an FAQ.

    The Assessment phase ends in mid-October 2019.

    Free conference registration and deadlines starting Aug. 19

    Downtown TO westin site

    Free registration: Due to another staffing change, we have an opening for a program host. These volunteers help keep our sessions on track and get complimentary registration in return. See the role description here and email paula.myers@afhto.ca if you’re interested.

    August 19: Book your hotel room before August 19. This ensures you get our group rate. After this date, rooms are released to the public. Prices start at $222/night. That’s more than $100 discount on current rates!

    August 19: IHP Sessions– we still need leads for the Administrative and Social workers
    individual sessions. If no leads are confirmed by August 19, we may have to cancel these sessions. All IHP session leads get a $50 discount on conference registration. Email us for more information.

    September 4: Our early bird deadline to register for the AFHTO 2019 Conference, “Health System Integration Built on the Foundation of Team-Based Primary Health Care”

    Project ECHO Ontario Mental Health: free professional development opportunity
    Registration is now open for ECHO Ontario Mental Health at CAMH and the University of Toronto. This free educational program uses videoconferencing technology to support front line providers in the delivery of high quality, evidence-based mental health and addictions care. Together with their peers, as well as an inter-disciplinary specialist hub, ECHO Ontario Mental Health allows participants to share and learn best practices, jointly discuss practical recommendations for complex client care, and build sustainable communities of practice.

    Free programs in the following areas will launch in Fall 2019:

    • Addiction Medicine and Psychosocial Interventions
    • Complex Patient Management
    • Mental Health
    • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
    • Psychotherapy
    • Trans and Gender Diverse Healthcare

    Apply today using this Application Form. If you have any questions, email echo_Ontariomentalhealth@camh.ca.

    AFHTO 2019 Conference, September 19- 20, 2019
    Members get 50% off registration; plus early bird rates are in effect! Get your member access code from your administrator and come explore Health System Integration Built on The Foundation of Team-Based Primary Health Care. Register now!

    NPAO Annual Conference, September 12-13, 2019
    Register for the NPAO Annual Conference by Friday, August 16th to access early bird rates! Learn more about the conference here.

    Good Governance Practice to Support System Transformation, August 14, 2019
    The OHA is hosting a webinar for guidance on how OHT candidates can work together to evaluate good governance and to discuss building blocks that will help ensure the success of their OHT. There is a cost. Please click here for more information or to register.

    Free Workshop to Develop Support for Patient-Oriented Research, September 9 to November 25, 2019
    Join this free workshop series for patient partners, policymakers, managers or researchers who would benefit from learning more about how patient-oriented research can improve the patient experience and patient outcomes. Find out more here.

  • QI in Action eBulletin #89: Mental Health and Addiction Initiatives in Primary Care

    In this issue

     

    • Mental Health and Addiction Initiatives in Primary Care
    • AFHTO 2019 conference

     

    Mental Health and Addiction and Primary Care
    In any given year, one in five Canadians, including over one million children and youth, experiences a mental health problem or illness1. Mental illness is a leading cause of disability in Canada, and one-third of Canadians in need of mental health care report that their needs are not fully met1. Every Ontarian should have equitable access to mental health and addictions services and supports across the province.

    In order to reach this goal, patients must have access to mental health and addictions resources in all health care settings, including primary care. Integrating mental health services in primary care has been shown to decrease rates of emergency room visits and hospitalizations, increase patient satisfaction and outcomes, decrease stigma, and increases access to services.

    AFHTO members have developed, implemented and evaluated a variety of mental health & addiction programs and initiatives focusing on improving access, quality of care, transitions, and integrations. Listed within the document below are some of these programs and initiatives that have been shared at previous AFHTO conferences. The presentations are categorized into three areas: access, quality of care, and transitions, integrations and partnerships.  

    Click here for a listing of AFHTO member mental health and addiction initiatives.

    The mental health and addiction sector is also working to improve access and services through the E-QIP (Excellence through Quality Improvement Project) initiative. E-QIP is a collaborative initiative of Additions Mental Health Ontario (AMHO), Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) and Health Quality Ontario. E-QIP is working with organizations (including primary care teams) across the province to identify and address quality issues that are relevant to specific regions and organizations. Click here to learn more about the E-QIP initiative and how you can get involved.

    AFHTO, CMHA and AMHO have recently partnered to complete a 4-part webinar series focusing on community and primary care QI projects and initiatives in the area of mental health and addiction. Click here to access the slides and recording of the first webinar. Keep an eye out for dates of the rest of the webinar series in AFHTO’s Bits & Pieces newsletter and QI in Action e-Bulletin.

    Email improve@afhto.ca if you would like to get in contact with any of the teams listed above to learn more about their programs or initiatives. Or let us know if you have developed a program or service that should be shared with our teams!

    AFHTO 2019 Conference

    Here are some important dates relating to this year’s AFHTO conference taking place September 19 & 20.

    • June 2019: Conference registration opens
    • August 19, 2019: Hotel group rate deadline
    • September 4, 2019: Early-bird registration ends
    • Sep 19 & 20, 2019: AFHTO 2019 Conference

    References:

    1. Mental Health and Primary Care Policy Framework. (2016). Centre for Addition and Mental Health. https://www.camh.ca/-/media/files/pdfs—public-policy-submissions/primarycarepolicyframework_march2016-pdf.pdf  
    2. Addressing Mental Health and Addictions Needs in Primary Care – Canadian Mental Health Association. https://ontario.cmha.ca/documents/addressing-mental-health-and-addictions-needs-in-primary-care/
    3. Michelle Funk, Benedetto Saraceno, Natalie Drew, Edwige Faydi. Integrating mental health into primary healthcare. Ment Health Fam Med. 2008 Mar; 5(1): 5–8.

    In Case You Missed It: Check out eBulletin #88 or other back issues here!
    Questions? Comments? Contact us at improve@afhto.ca.

  • Bits & Pieces: OHT updates, members’ stories, abstract notifications & more

    Bits & Pieces: OHT updates, members’ stories, abstract notifications & more

    Your Weekly News & Updates

    In this Issue:  
    • Update: Ontario Health Teams
    • Members’ stories
    • AFHTO 2019 Conference presentation notifications sent out
    • Harvard ManageMentor deadline May 30
    • ECHO addictions medicine and psychosocial interventions
    • MOHLTC update: mental health and addictions
    • Today’s the deadline to sign up as IHP session lead
    • OCFP board nominations
    • Upcoming events regarding OHTs and more

    Update: Ontario Health Teams

    The first deadline for OHT submissions has passed, and the self-assessment applications are now being reviewed. Teams that submitted for this first round will hear back from the Ministry in June on the status of their application. The first OHT candidates will be announced in the fall.

    AFHTO continues to add tools and resources to the website. The following were most recently added:

    These are on the Ontario Health Teams page with other tools and resources. If you have any questions, please email us at info@afhto.ca.

    You can also email ontariohealthteams@ontario.ca with questions, and consider signing up for regular Connected Care Updates.  The May 17 update is available here.

    Members’ stories

    Officials from more than 20 agencies, including Couchiching FHT, have been meeting and working together to create a new Ontario Health Team in Orillia.
    <em>Officials from more than 20 agencies, including Couchiching FHT, have been meeting and working together to create a new Ontario Health Team in Orillia.</em>

    Couchiching FHT: Orillia group makes pitch to form Ontario Health Team

    Kawartha North FHT: Kawartha North FHT & Kawartha Lakes groups discuss forming Ontario Health Team

    Essex County NPLC: Essex County NPLC’s Peer-led Workshop Walks through Diabetic Foot Complication Prevention

    St. Michael’s Hospital Academic FHT: St. Michael’s Hospital Academic FHT Physician prescribes money to low-income patients: Vox interview

    AFHTO 2019 Conference presentation notifications sent out
    Thank you to everyone who submitted an abstract for concurrent session and poster presentations at the AFHTO 2019 Conference. A notification e-mail has been sent to each contact person so please ensure your group contact has received an e-mail including the words “AFHTO 2019 Conference” in the subject on May 24 or 27, 2019.

    If your contact person has NOT received this notification, please contact info@afhto.ca before Wednesday, May 29, 2019.

    Harvard ManageMentor deadline May 30
    Harvard ManageMentor is a self-directed online-learning program affiliated with the Harvard School of Business. It covers over 40 topics of vital relevance to today’s healthcare managers. Each module helps strengthen specific leadership skills that drive performance and results.

    For demo access:
    •    url: https://courses.edls.com/login.php?url=afhtogroup
    •    username: afhto_demo
    •    password:  harvard (all lower case)

    If you have any questions about Harvard ManageMentor and/or Spark, please contact Candace Dames at cdames@edls.com or (647) 838 2555. If you’re interested in participating, please contact Bryn Hamilton before May 30.

    ECHO addictions medicine and psychosocial interventions
    ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) is a collaborative model of healthcare education that leverages videoconferencing to empower providers to enhance their knowledge, confidence, and practice. This Fall, CAMH and St. Michael’s Hospital are collaborating on an ECHO that will focus specifically on empowering healthcare and service providers working with clients with substance related addictions. Specifically, this ECHO aims to build capacity in the treatment and management of substance use and addictions.

    They’re currently conducting a needs assessment to better understand the learning priorities of healthcare providers, with the goal of refining our curriculum. If you or someone you know would be interested in participating, please take a few moments to fill out the survey and provide your feedback. Deadline June 4.

    Find out more about ECHO Ontario AMPI here.

    MOHLTC update: mental health and addictions
    Ontario introduced the Foundations for Promoting and Protecting Mental Health and Addictions Services Act yesterday. If passed, this act would establish a Mental Health and Addictions Centre of Excellence within Ontario Health and support the province’s participation in the national class action lawsuit British Columbia launched last year against more than 40 opioid manufacturers and wholesalers.

    Read the news release here and Hill+Knowlton’s memo on the subject here.

    Today’s the deadline to sign up as IHP session lead
    Today’s the deadline to sign up as an IHP session lead for the popular individual professional sessions at the AFHTO 2019 Conference, so if you’re interested, please contact Beth MacKinnon by 5:00 p.m.

    OCFP board nominations
    The Ontario College of Family Physicians is currently seeking up to three family physicians to join their Board of Directors. Deadline June 5.

    Ontario Health Teams: a primary care perspective, June 5, 2019
    Lunch and learn session specifically for AFHTO members, hosted in partnership with Karima Kanani (Partner at Miller Thomson LLP). Register here.

    BoneFit Kingston, June 8-9, 2019
    Join the Bone Fit exercise training workshop for health professionals, where you will learn effective and appropriate exercise for people with osteoporosis. Learn more here.

    Mental health and addiction QI collaborative webinar, June 13, 2019
    Join CMHA, AMHO, and AFHTO for a 4-part webinar series on community and primary care QI projects and initiatives with a focus on mental health and addictions. Register here for the first webinar.

    Considerations for Primary Care Teams as a Not-for-Profit Corporation, July 17, 2019
    Join AFHTO & Grant Thornton LLP for their second webinar in the Financial Webinar Series. Register here.

    Integrated People-Centred Care – How? An Overview of the upcoming HSO:76000 Integrated People-Centred Health Systems Standard, June 19, 2019
    HSO will be providing a high-level overview of their upcoming Integrated People-Centered Systems Standard in this webinar. Learn more here.