AFHTO 2021 Conference Poster Highlights
At the AFHTO 2021 Conference, we hosted an exhibit of numerous posters highlighting evidence-based, impactful innovations by your colleagues. We encourage you to take a moment to check out these posters and reach out to teams to see how you can implement these innovations too!
Given November is Diabetes Awareness Month we would like to highlight a few innovations you can implement in your teams to improve diabetes care, all poster innovations presented at the AFHTO 2021 conference.
1) Proactive Diabetes Care
COVID-19 disrupted the continuity of care for patients and propagated deterioration of chronic conditions such as diabetes. Credit Valley Family Health Team (CVFHT) proactively assessed the impact of the pandemic on their diabetes patient care using a triangulated approach comprised of a clinic survey, EMR query, and a patient survey. CVFHT prioritized the needs, creating a Just in Time intervention which was a proactive virtual educational strategy designed to reduce deterioration of diabetes outcomes, foster patient engagement and improve patient self-management. The 2-part education intervention utilized a team-based approach and was grounded in principles of learning and behavioural psychology with the goal of promoting behaviour change. For more information, please contact: Dr. Zarifa, gihane.zarifa@thp.ca
2) Implement Self Management Tools for Patients
St. Joseph’s Urban Family Health Team’s initiative aims to improve the glycemic control of those with type 2 diabetes, reducing the risk of long-term complications. Their aim is to ensure all patients eligible, are offered flash glucose monitoring to monitor their glucose and provide them with more insight over lifestyle factors impacting their glycemic control. Their aim is that if this monitoring system does improve indices, that all patients requiring insulin therapy are offered this as an option, to improve their quality of life and reduce the risk of long-term complications. For more information, please contact: improve@afhto.ca
3) Dynamic Digital Engagement
Mount Forest Family Health Team, in partnership with IMA Medical Group, demonstrated how Engagement and Success can be tracked differently within a virtual care model. They also included how engagement over time can be leveraged to build more personalized success experiences that enhance their ability to guide themselves from pre-contemplation to action. For more information, please contact: Sarah Pink, s.pink@dafht.ca and Diane Horrigan, dhorrigan@mountforestfht.com
4) Updating EMR tools for Accessible and Trackable Data
Wound documentation using a validated tracking tool in combination with proper wound care product selection is a best practice. When Elliot Lake Family Health Team heard from their patients, “Patients really want to know how long it will take to heal their wound” they implemented a tool within their electronic medical record (EMR) to give patients accessible and trackable data. Elliot Lake Family Health Team was able to track wounds and able to predict which wounds will heal and which wounds will be hard to heal. For more information, please contact: Mary Ellen Mitchell, M.Mitchell@elfht.ca
Your Role In Improving The Population Health Of People At Risk Or Living With Diabetic Foot Complications
Earlier this year, AFHTO, in collaboration with Wounds Canada hosted a webinar to provide an overview of your role to improve the population health of people at risk or living with diabetic foot complications across the full continuum of care settings to improve patient experience, outcomes and costs.
Click here for the recording and slides.
Query Supports: Identify your Target Population
MyPractice: Primary Care Report provides an update on the HbA1c Indicator: % of patients with diabetes who had 2 or more HbA1c tests within the past 12 months, approximately every 6 months. In order to assist you with retrieving data in real time from your EMR, the QI in PC Council has created a number of queries which can be found here. Please note, these queries will have to be adjusted per team, but they provide a reference point. In addition, eCE has created a Diabetes Manager.
On November 18th the QIPC council shared a process that worked well for London FHT that collaborated with ‘Partnering for Quality’ to develop and create comprehensive searches for guiding data supporting quality improvement initiatives on Diabetes, Congestive Heart Failure, and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Using the foundational approach of identifying suspects for coding patients, to then selecting targets to improve the patient level of care, and displaying the data in PowerBI analytical software, made quarterly reporting easier and initiated further discussion around what targets to select next.
If there is interest in learning more details about how this may work for you contact the Partnering for Quality team about the PFQ-ID Dashboard toolkit. A simple no cost solution for obtaining your EMR data and presenting it back in an efficient usable way for the team.
Ontario Health Updates: Upcoming events and programs in support of Diabetes Awareness month
Content below developed by Ontario Health (Health Quality Ontario)
November is Diabetes Awareness Month around the world. Did you know that this year also marks the 100th anniversary of the discovery of insulin? In Ontario, about one in ten people have some form of diabetes. See below for some upcoming events and resources that can support you in your practice related to care for diabetes:
Webinar | MyPractice: Primary Care Report: Using Data for Improvement | Monday November 22, 2021 • 12–1 p.m. Ontario Health is hosting a webinar for primary care providers on using the diabetes management indicators in the MyPractice: Primary Care report to drive improvements in patient care. Please register here to join the session. This is the first of an ongoing series that will focus on using data from the MyPractice: Primary Care report for quality improvement.
This program is part of a series that has been certified for up to 4 Mainpro+ credits.
Quality Standards
To address gaps in the health care that people with diabetes receive across Ontario, and improve their health outcomes, Ontario Health developed three quality standards:
Included with each quality standard is a patient guide you can use to support your conversations when discussing diabetes care with your patients. Stay tuned for information on upcoming webinars related to diabetes.
Family physicians can now earn up to 5.5 Mainpro+® credits for reading the diabetes quality standards through the Understanding Quality Standards in Primary Care program. To enroll or to learn more, please contact UnderstandQS@ontariohealth.ca.
Upcoming Webinars:
Practical Approaches to Polypharmacy: The Gentle Art of Deprescribing
Dec 1, 2021 (12-1 pm EST) | Register here.
In this webinar we will explore approaches to the issues and problems around polypharmacy and deprescribing in primary care patients. We will discuss approaches to the integration of patients’ goals and priorities with evidence. In the second part of the webinar, we will demonstrate the TAPER tool (Team Approach to Polypharmacy Evaluation and Reduction), an integrated pathway designed for use in a primary care team-based approach as routine “prevention” in primary care patients with polypharmacy.
Using Electronic Medical Records to Choose Wisely: Push, Pull, Nudge
Dec 1, 2021 (12-1 pm EST) | Register here
Reducing inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions has been a long-standing challenge in primary care. With the increasing adoption of digital tools in primary care practices, how might we take advantage of features within EMRs to help improve antibiotic prescribing?
Choosing Wisely Talks on December 1 at 12 p.m. ET will explore efforts to work with EMR vendors to embed antibiotic stewardship tools into their digital workflows. Dr. Darren Larsen, family physician and expert in digital health, will share how leveraging EMRs can not only help improve patient care, but also help change clinician behaviour.
In Case You Missed It: Check out eBulletin #112 or other back issues here!
Questions? Comments? Contact us at improve@afhto.ca.
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Information webinar: COVID-19 vaccination for children 5-11 years old
COVID-19 vaccination for children 5-11 years old is expected to be approved by Health Canada by the end of November. The Alliance for Healthier Communities and the Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario is cohosting an information session to help our members prepare, and to answer your most pressing questions.
Dr. Janine McCready, infectious diseases physician at Michael Garron Hospital, will share details of the expected or approved vaccine for children, share insights for how to counsel parents and guardians, and address commonly asked questions and concerns.
Your voice is key – member consultation forum, Nov. 16, 2021
A reminder to please sign up for and spread the word across your teams and regional networks about AFHTO’s Member Consultation – 2022 Election Messaging on November 16 from 12 PM to 1:30 PM! This is member input on our election strategy and local messaging, and it is critical that we have good representation from a diversity of teams and professions.
Your voice is key in our election preparation, and local advocacy is equally as critical as central advocacy – especially in the lead-up to an election where candidates are working to be (re)elected.
We know how busy schedules are for team leaders these days, so if it helps, consider delegating this to one person on your team who can be a touch point for advocacy work over the next seven months as we work towards election day on June 2, 2022.
Please register here! Any questions, please contact beth.mackinnon@afhto.ca.
Celebrating Nurse Practitioner Week
This week it’s time to recognize the important work of NPs in primary care teams. No matter the model, nurse practitioners are truly invaluable in providing comprehensive care to Ontarians. Thank you to our NP team members! And to highlight some of their great work, here is a video of past president and NPAO Patient Choice Award Nominee Beth Cowper-Fung, Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioner, Georgina NPLC.
Members’ stories
Burlington FHT– Tough nuts to crack: The Burlington FHT Physiotherapy team during the pandemic
Bruyère Academic FHT– Bruyère Receives Award in Innovation from CAN Health
Georgina NPLC– ‘Decrease wait times’ focus behind Georgina’s nurse practitioner clinic that director promises will be ‘gorgeous’
Lakehead NPLC – Lakehead nurse practitioner-led clinic offers drive-thru flu shots
Reminder- Introduction to ONCA, Nov. 17, 2021
Join Benjamin Miller from Community Legal Education Ontario (CLEO) for an education session on what is new in the Ontario’s Not-for-Profit Corporations Act (ONCA), and steps nonprofits can take to set themselves up for success in transitioning to the new requirements under the Act. Register here.
Third dose recommendations, dose date calculator and more
Recent updates include:
We continue to update several pages on our site with resources and news:
New tools and supports- substance use, navigation & child & youth depression
Breaking Free Online – Digital Support Tool for Substance Use Disorder: Ontario Health has launched Breaking Free Online, an online therapy tool for Ontarians 16 and up to support recovery from the use of over 70 substances such as tobacco, alcohol, and drugs, including opioids, and help prevent a relapse. To implement, please email Nicholette Smith at nsmith@breakingfreegroup.com to receive your organization’s service code.
Health Care Navigation Service – Coming Soon: The Ontario government is awarding a contract to create a one-stop, digitally enabled navigation tool with fully bilingual services that will increase access to care and improve equity. This new tool expected to be ready in early 2022, where Ontarians will have a ‘Digital Front Door’ to Ontario’s health care system. Find out more here.
Improving care across Ontario一and beyond一for children and youth with depression– The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) has launched a new free online tool to help improve the standard of care for youth living with depression. Cundill Centre Online Tool for the Treatment of Youth Depression summarizes best care practices for supporting youth as they manage their depression and is now available for primary care providers and other frontline clinicians everywhere.
TUTOR-PHC call for applications
Transdisciplinary Understanding and Training on Research – Primary Health Care (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. The deadline to apply is December 6, 2021.
For more information, please go to the website or email the TUTOR-PHC Project Coordinator at tutor@uwo.ca.
RNAO seeking best practice panelists
The Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO) is seeking nominations for expert panel members for an upcoming new edition best practice guideline on Person-And Family-Centred Care, Third Edition. They are looking for 1 to 3 family physicians to be a volunteer on this panel which extends over 18 months.
Please see attached letter for more information and if you are interested please let us know at info@afhto.ca by November 16th so we can inform the RNAO.
Improving Access to community MHA services: A QI priority for Ontario Health Teams, Nov. 12, 2021
Hosted by E-QIP. Learn more here.
MyPractice: Primary Care Report: Using Data for Improvement: A focus on the Diabetes Management Indicators, Nov. 22, 2021
First in a QI learning series by Ontario Health. Find out more here.
HSPN OHT Webinar: Stories from the field Part 2, Nov. 23, 2021
The webinar will focus on a few examples of teams that are looking at ways to meaningfully engage patients and families in co-design, to develop and implement integrated strategic plans, and to create robust governance structures. Register here.
Prenatal Genetic Testing Options and Genetic Counselling Services in Northeastern Ontario, Nov. 24, 2021
Prenatal Screening Ontario is pleased to partner with the Genetic Counselling Services of Health Sciences North to provide a free webinar for supporting prenatal care providers in Northeastern Ontario. Register here.
Practical approaches to polypharmacy: the gentle art of deprescribing, Dec. 1, 2021
We will explore approaches to the issues and problems around polypharmacy and deprescribing in primary care patients; discuss approaches to the integration of patients’ goals and priorities with evidence; and demonstrate the TAPER tool. Register here.
Primary Care and COVID-19 Support CoP Connecting Call, Nov. 24, 2021
Hosted by Ontario Health. Find out more here.
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Reminder- It’s election time- member consultation forum, Nov. 16, 2021
The 2022 provincial election is fast approaching, and we need to hear from you! Interest and registration were high for our fireside chat, and now we need to discuss next steps.
Members have consistently told us our advocacy on your behalf is one of the things you value most, so now it’s time to take part.
Click here for more information and to register.
2021 Annual Report available
It has been a challenging 20 months, and primary care teams have been leaders.
Throughout this pandemic, teams adjusted to new circumstances and continued to provide comprehensive care while extending reach to support their communities. They were leaders in organizing assessment centres, conducting tests, and administering COVID-19 vaccines. They collaborated with their partners to help keep communities safe, while keeping their doors open to provide care to their patients and others who needed it most.
Thank you to all our members who shared your stories. Get more from our annual report.
New date- Practical approaches to polypharmacy: the gentle art of deprescribing
In this webinar on Dec. 1, we will explore approaches to the issues and problems around polypharmacy and deprescribing in primary care patients. We will discuss approaches to the integration of patients’ goals and priorities with evidence. In the second part of the webinar, we will demonstrate the TAPER tool (Team Approach to Polypharmacy Evaluation and Reduction), an integrated pathway designed for use in a primary care team-based approach as routine “prevention” in primary care patients with polypharmacy. Register here.
Tapering and stopping opioids slides and video available
On Oct. 19 Dr. Furlan summarized the 10 years of experience of the pain clinic at Toronto Rehab UHN where she works with an interprofessional team to help patients come off long term opioid therapy for chronic non-cancer pain. Slides and video are now available.
Managing Mental Health in the Workplace During COVID-19 videos and more
Recent updates include:
We continue to update several pages on our site with resources and news:
Just launched- Indigenous cultural safety training
The Indigenous Primary Health Care Council (IPHCC) is starting a training series called Anishinaabe Mino’ayaawin – People in Good Health; the first course in the series, Foundations of Indigenous Cultural Safety, was created in partnership with the IPHCC’s Indigenous Knowledge Keepers’ Circle, bioethicists, and Indigenous patient navigators from across Ontario. It is grounded in a two-eyed-seeing approach to knowledge. It’s an online, multi-media course that takes about three hours to complete. Enrolment is free for individuals and organizations.
2022 Family Medicine Summit call for abstracts
The 2022 Family Medicine Summit (FMS) will include two days of livestream events – January 28 and 29, 2022 – with dozens of additional sessions available on demand to participants until July 31, 2022. New this year, they have reserved space in the agenda for speakers selected from a Call for Abstracts.
The Call for Abstracts is open exclusively to family medicine residents and early-career family physicians. Selected presenters will receive guidance and support in preparing to deliver their session. While all abstracts are welcome, they’d be especially keen to hear from someone who has been working on implementing Choosing Wisely Canada recommendations within their practice and/or someone who has been involved in establishing their local Primary Care Network. Submissions are due by November 8.
Choosing Wisely Post Pandemic: How COVID-19 Opened Our Eyes to Low-Value Care, Nov. 10, 2021
Part of the De/Implement: CWC Implementation Research Webinar Series. Find out more.
Introduction to ONCA, Nov. 17, 2021
Join Benjamin Miller from Community Legal Education Ontario (CLEO) for an education session on what is new in the Ontario’s Not-for-Profit Corporations Act (ONCA), and steps nonprofits can take to set themselves up for success in transitioning to the new requirements under the Act. Register here.
Curbing Unnecessary Antibiotic Use in Children: Navigating Colds, Flu, and Kids This Respiratory Season, Nov. 17, 2021
Part of ‘Choosing Wisely Talks’. Find out more here.
Special Interest ECHO Sessions – Gender Diversity: Information for Primary Care Providers, Nov. 17- Dec.1
Three-part ECHO Ontario Child and Youth Mental Health series. Get more details here.
Primary Care and COVID-19 Support CoP Connecting Call, Nov. 24, 2021
Hosted by Ontario Health. Find out more here.
Ontario Structured Psychotherapy for Alcohol Use Disorder Survey
The Ontario Structured Psychotherapy program (OSP) has been designed and implemented for people with mild to moderate anxiety and depression. Screening for substance use including Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) does occur, however people are not disclosing concerns around their alcohol consumption in initial screenings. Clients often disclose concerns related to alcohol consumption after a few sessions which leaves some clinicians unable to adequately meet their clients needs.
Addictions and Mental Health Ontario (AMHO), along with the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Mental Health and Addictions Centre of Excellence (MHA CoE), has convened an advisory committee to recommend next steps for an OSP program for clients with mild to moderate AUD. This survey is intended to gather information that would support the committee in making recommendations to support the development of the program.
The survey will take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete and will be open until November 12, 2021. Please note, this survey was initially designed for people working in the mental health and addiction sector. Not all question will be relevant to all providers, so feel free to only complete sections that are relevant to your care setting.
If you have any questions or further comments, please contact karen.cook@amho.ca.
COVID-19 Guidance: Primary Care Providers in a Community Setting
Ministry of Health has released a version 9.0 for the COVID-19 guidance for primary care providers in a community setting on October 19, 2021. Sections that are updated are on In-Person, Screening, Testing, and Occupational Health and Safety. Please keep an eye on the Ministry of Health (MOH) COVID-19 website for regularly updated versions.
Ontario Health Updates: Upcoming events and programs related to quality standards (QS)
Content below developed by Ontario Health (Health Quality Ontario)
RGP Toronto Implementation Coaching Series for Delirium Care
Join us this fall for a practical coaching series on how you can use the implementation guide for the Delirium quality standard to change care in your workplace! Come on your own or bring a team.
This will be a dynamic, interactive coaching series where all levels of implementers are welcome—no preparation required. Whether you are just getting started, are started but stalled, or on a roll, this series is for you!
Part 1: Assemble a Team | October 28, 2021 • 12:00–1:00 p.m. ET
In this session you will learn how to create an elevator pitch, provide a case for change, and decide how you will engage various stakeholders. REGISTER HERE
Part 2: Prioritize a Change Idea | November 25, 2021 • 12:00-1:00 p.m. ET
In this session you will learn practical methods to set priorities in diverse groups and how to set up two-way communication mechanisms. REGISTER
Part 3: Create a Plan | December 16, 2021 • 12:00-1:00 p.m. ET
In this session you will learn how to create a practical action plan, address barriers, and leverage facilitators so that your change sticks. REGISTER
Mainpro+® Self-Study Program | Understanding Quality Standards in Primary Care | Coming October 2021
Ontario Health is excited to announce a new opportunity for family physicians to earn Mainpro+® credits by reading the quality standards relevant to primary care. This one-credit-per-hour Self-Learning program has been certified by the College of Family Physicians of Canada and the Ontario Chapter for up to 48.75 credits. To learn more, or to enroll in the program, contact: UnderstandQS@ontariohealth.ca.
Participate in Research!
Your opinion matters: Help us develop educational materials for lipid management.
Researchers at The Knowledge Translation (KT) Program at St. Michael’s Hospital and Women’s College Hospital are collaborating on a study called the “CANHEART Improving Cholesterol Management Study” to improve lipid management and cardiovascular health in Ontario.
The Community Heart Outcomes Improvement and Cholesterol Education Study (CHOICES) is an Ontario research study being conducted in certain health regions in Ontario with higher than average rates of cardiovascular disease. The study is being funded as part of Canada’s Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR) and by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). CHOICES will involve implementing a ‘toolbox’ for cholesterol management to inform and empower people when it comes to the appropriate management of their cholesterol and cardiovascular health. The tools within this ‘toolbox’, such as cholesterol tip sheets, educational videos, and online decision aids, will be widely distributed in the high-risk health regions, to allow people to work with their primary care physician and share in the decision-making process together.
Currently, we are looking to recruit primary care physicians Ontario wide to review and provide feedback on an online decision aid tool aimed to improve cholesterol management among patients. Participants will be compensated with a $100.00 honorarium for their time. If you are interested in reviewing the tool and participating in a 30 – 45-minute confidential telephone interview, please contact Research Assistant, Suvabna Theivendrampillai at Suvabna.Theivendrampillai@unityhealth.to
Are you a Family Physician delivering virtual care?
A study on digital health and compassionate care led by Dr. Laura Desveaux from Women’s College Hospital is exploring how technology influences interactions in primary care. Family physicians who have experience delivering virtual care (e.g., video visits, asynchronous messaging, and remote monitoring) with their patients are being invited to participate in a 30–45-minute interview over Zoom. The interview will explore your experiences with technology, how you have adapted your practice, and what is needed moving forward. A $75 e-gift card will be provided in recognition of your time. To participate or discuss further, please contact the project lead, Kelly Wu (kelly.wu@wchospital.ca).
Upcoming Webinars:
In Case You Missed It: Check out eBulletin #111 or other back issues here!
Questions? Comments? Contact us at improve@afhto.ca.
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Influenza-like Illness (ILI) provincial guidance memo for primary care
The final approved guidance for primary care on navigating patients with ILI symptoms is now available. This guidance is purposely high-level to allow for adaption and implementation at a regional and local level.
The memo refers to connecting with regional leadership a few times, so below is the list of clinical regional VPs.
Region and Clinical VPs
Toronto- Rose Cook
West- Dr. Jennifer Everson
East- Dr. David Zelt
Central – Dr. Mira Backo-Shannon
North – Dr. Paul Preston
Reminder- rheumatology in primary care, tomorrow, Oct. 14
We’ve updated the name of our Oct. 14 webinar to more accurately reflect the content. This presentation provides an overarching schema of rheumatic diseases, with a focus on types and patterns of articular involvement, and extraarticular and serologic correlates. By the end of the presentation, participants will be able to apply this schema when approaching common rheumatic disease presentations. Find out more and register here.
Introduction to ONCA, Nov. 17
Ontario’s Not-for-Profit Corporations Act (ONCA) will be proclaimed on October 19, 2021. Nonprofits now have 3 years to update their bylaws and letters patent to comply with the ONCA.
We invite members to join Benjamin Miller from Community Legal Education Ontario (CLEO) for an education session on what is new in the ONCA, and steps nonprofits can take to set themselves up for success in transitioning to the new requirements under the Act. Register here.
Just one week to early bird deadline, fireside chat & platform update
Key update on COVID-19 testing and primary care and more
Recent updates include:
We continue to update several pages on our site with resources and news:
Reminder- Tapering and Stopping Opioids, Oct. 19
There is evidence that chronic opioid therapy has a negative impact on patients’ quality of life and increasing the risk of serious complications like opioid use disorder, unintentional overdose, and death. Tapering opioids can be challenging to the prescriber and to the patient, and there is not a lot of guidance on how to do it safely, comfortably, and effectively. In this webinar, Dr. Furlan will summarize the 10 years of experience of the pain clinic at Toronto Rehab UHN where she works with an interprofessional team to help patients come off long term opioid therapy for chronic non-cancer pain. Co-hosted with ECHO Ontario Chronic Pain and Opioid Stewardship (UHN). Register here.
META: PHI provincial RAAM network
META: PHI supports clinicians across care settings in delivering high-quality care to people who use substances. In 2020, META: PHI was tasked by the Ministry of Health to provide oversight to the province’s network of 74 rapid access addiction medicine (RAAM) clinics as the provincial clinical practice hub for RAAMs. RAAM clinics offer low-barrier, walk-in addiction medicine services, including time-limited pharmacotherapy and brief counselling, without an appointment or formal referral. Information and clinical resources can be found at www.metaphi.ca. You can find their presentation to the Primary Care Collaborative here.
Managing Mental Health in the Workplace during COVID-19, Oct. 19, 2021
Free virtual day of learning for frontline workers and managers hosted by Ontario Psychological Association and City of Toronto. Register here.
Testing for COVID-19 and “last mile” vaccination, Oct. 22, 2021
The 30th in the series ‘Changing the way we work’ for the COVID-19 COP for Family Physicians. Register here.
It’s election time- member consultation forum, Nov. 16, 2021
The 2022 provincial election is fast approaching, and we need to hear from you! Click here for more information and to register!
AFHTO 2021 Conference, Oct. 27-28, 2021
Post-Pandemic Primary Care: Respond, Recover, Rebuild. Members get a significant discount on the registration fee. Find out more here.
AFHTO Knowledge Translation & Exchange Webinars Repository Now Available
Throughout the year, AFHTO and our partners have continuously provided knowledge translation & exchange webinars on various topics. We continue to support this work on timely and requested topics. To help streamline the process of signing up for upcoming webinars and accessing previous webinars, please refer to this page for a complete list.
Here is a list of webinars hosted throughout the year – please click the topic area to be taken directly to the webinar recording and if available, supplementary materials:
Now Available: New COVID-19 third dose vaccine eligibility search
Although two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine provide strong protection against the virus, a third dose may be required for those patients with an increased risk of infection. On August 17, the province released a list of vulnerable populations who are eligible for a third dose, which include transplant recipients, patients with hematological cancers, recipients of an anti-CD20 agent and more. Please note, as eligibility broadens such as the new guidance on September 14th, 2021 eCE is working on assessing changes and aligning efforts. Thus, this query is only up to date to the August 17th eligibility criteria.
The eHealth Centre of Excellence’s newest EMR vaccine eligibility search will help primary care providers to quickly identify patients from their ambulatory roster who may be eligible.
You can access the search (for TELUS PS Suite) by downloading it directly from the eHealth Centre of Excellence community portal. More information about COVID-19 Vaccination Support tools offered by the eHealth Centre of Excellence can be found here.
Note: This search will also be available for OSCAR and Accuro EMRs soon.
Seeking pharmacists’ input on experiences and contributions to mental health care during COVID-19
If you are a primary care pharmacist, University of Toronto researchers want to hear from you! Their study seeks to examine primary care team pharmacist contributions to patient mental health care and understand pharmacists’ experiences with collaboration during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 15 to 20 min survey includes a mix of multiple choice and open response questions.
This study from the University of Toronto is co-led by Dr. Rachelle Ashcroft, Assistant Professor at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, and Dr. Lisa Dolovich, Professor & Dean at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy.
To take the survey, please click on this link: https://bit.ly/SplPharm.
Quality Standard Placemat
Content below developed by Ontario Health (Health Quality Ontario)
Reminder: We want your input on the quality standard placemats!
Ontario Health has recently developed a tool called the Quality Standard (QS) Placemat that is a resource for primary care providers. The placemat highlights key elements of care for a condition and is an evidence-based, quick-reference tool that concisely summarizes key information from the quality standard and includes links to resources and tools.
OH is looking for clinicians willing to review and use any of the QS Placemats for approximately 2 weeks. After that they would then like you to complete a short survey (link below) that will give you the opportunity to provide feedback on the usefulness of the tool.
If you or one of your colleagues be willing to help us test and provide feedback on the Quality Standard placemats, please complete the following survey by clicking on the link below. OH would appreciate it if you can complete the survey by September 30th, 2021.
Currently, there are seven quality standard placemats available:
Survey Link: https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/6387602/Quality-Standards-Placemat-Evaluation
If you are interested in participating or have any questions, please email Jorge Ginieniewicz at: jorge.ginieniewicz@ontariohealth.ca
Upcoming Webinars:
COVID-19 Malnutrition – How To Identify And Treat In Team-Based Primary Care
September 20, 2021, 12:00-1:00 PM EDT
In Case You Missed It: Check out eBulletin #110 or other back issues here!
Questions? Comments? Contact us at improve@afhto.ca.
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Tapering and stopping opioids, Oct. 19
Cohosted with ECHO Ontario Chronic Pain and Opioid Stewardship (UHN).
There is evidence that chronic opioid therapy has a negative impact on patients’ quality of life and increasing the risk of serious complications like opioid use disorder, unintentional overdose, and death.
Tapering opioids can be challenging to the prescriber and to the patient, and there is not a lot of guidance on how to do it safely, comfortably, and effectively. In this webinar, Dr. Furlan will summarize the 10 years of experience of the pain clinic at Toronto Rehab UHN where she works with an interprofessional team to help patients come off long term opioid therapy for chronic non-cancer pain. Find out more and register here.
AFHTO Bright Lights Awards – nominations now open
Shine a light on your team’s achievements. Nominate an outstanding team or individual for a “Bright Lights” Award by August 27, 2021. Five awards will be presented this year:
* Education grant will be given to the award recipient in this category above thanks to the generous donations of our sponsor Choosing Wisely Canada.
** Education grant will be given to the award recipient in this category above thanks to the generous donations of our sponsor Provincial Geriatrics Leadership Ontario.
And don’t forget- for the first time ever, the AFHTO board invites all members to help them select the recipient of a Board award. Submit a nomination online for the Board Award category by August 20, 2021.
Find out more about the criteria here. You can find the nomination template here.
Updates on aggregate primary care vaccination reports and more
Recent updates include:
We continue to update several pages on our site with resources and news:
Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) changes
The Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services has revised the Disability Determination Package (DDP) for Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) applicants and developed a new Medical Review Package (MRP) Self Report for recipients.
The objective is to improve the ODSP adjudication process by introducing updated forms which will be easier for health care professionals (HCPs) and ODSP applicants and recipients to complete. Relevant documents include:
Seeking input from healthcare professionals who provide nutrition information and advice
Laval University researchers would like to assess training and education among Canadian healthcare professionals who provide nutrition information and advice in their clinical practice.
Participants are asked to complete a short online survey of 14 questions, which takes about 10 minutes to complete. The survey can be accessed here. Anyone who chooses to participate can provide their email address at the end of the survey (optional), for a chance to win one of three $50 grocery store gift cards. If you have any questions/concerns, please email justine.horne.1@ulaval.ca.
OHT Virtual Engagement Series: collaborative Quality Improvement Plans, Aug. 11, 2021
Hosted by the Ministry and Ontario health, this Information Session will be focused on the development and planning of collaborative Quality Improvement Plans (cQIPs). Find out more.
Applying the Ontario Health Asthma Quality Standards for Children and Adolescents in your practice, August 12, 2021
Hosted by Ontario Health and the Lung Health Foundation. Find out more here.
Pandemic Recovery and Chronic Disease Management: Primary Care for Adults with Asthma, August 19, 2021
Hosted by Ontario Health and the Lung Health Foundation. Find out more here.
NPAO 2021 Virtual Annual Conference, Sep. 23-24, 2021
This years’ Conference theme is Nurse Practitioner: Innovative Influencers of Health and Wellness. Find out more.
OMD Digital Health and Virtual Care Day, Sep. 30, 2021
This virtual day will focus on leveraging digital health and virtual care tools to complement the in-person delivery of patient care. Find out more here.
COVID-19 Vaccination Reports
Currently COVID-19 Vaccination Reports are available to Primary Care Providers in a few ways that are summarized below:
For more information and updates on COVID-19 Vaccination Reports, please refer to the OMD page here.
Resuming Cancer Screening During COVID-19
Missed the last ebulletin? Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario) has created a summary page for your reference on the resumption of cancer screening during the pandemic.
Content below developed by Ontario Health (Health Quality Ontario)
Quality Standard Placemat
Ontario Health wants your input on the quality standard placemats!
Ontario Health has recently developed a tool called the Quality Standard (QS) Placemat that is a resource for primary care practitioners. The placemat highlights key elements of care for a condition and is an evidence-based, quick-reference tool that concisely summarizes key information from the quality standard and includes links to resources and tools. To facilitate use at point of care, the placemat can be uploaded and used within EMRs for easy access. We have developed step-by-step user guides to help you add the QS placemats into Accuro, PS Suite and OSCAR EMR systems.
They are looking for clinicians willing to review and use any of the QS Placemats for approximately 2 weeks. After that they would like you to complete a short survey (link below) that will give you the opportunity to provide feedback on the usefulness of the tool.
Currently, there are seven quality standard placemats available:
Would you or one of your colleagues be willing to help them test and provide feedback on the placemats?
If so, please complete the following survey by clicking on the link below. They would appreciate it if you can complete the survey by August 25th, 2021.
Survey Link: https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/6387602/Quality-Standards-Placemat-Evaluation
If you are interested in participating or have any questions, please email Jorge Ginieniewicz at: jorge.ginieniewicz@ontariohealth.ca
A new Quality standard placemat has been developed:
Early Pregnancy Complications and Loss QS Placemat—summarizes content from the Early Pregnancy
Complications and Loss Quality Standard, focusing on care for people experiencing complications, such as pain and vaginal bleeding, and/or the loss of their pregnancy in the first 13 weeks.
Share your Thoughts on Addressing Patients’ Mental Health Needs as a Pharmacist
If you are a primary care pharmacist, the research team wants to hear from you! This study seeks to examine primary care team pharmacist contributions to patient mental health care and understand pharmacists’ experiences with collaboration during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 15 to 20 min survey includes a mix of multiple choice and open response questions.
This study from the University of Toronto is co-led by Dr. Rachelle Ashcroft, Assistant Professor at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, and Dr. Lisa Dolovich, Professor & Dean at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy.
To take the survey, please click on this link: https://bit.ly/SplPharm.
Upcoming Webinars:
In Case You Missed It: Check out eBulletin #109 or other back issues here!
Questions? Comments? Contact us at improve@afhto.ca.
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Rides to vaccination sites for people with disabilities
The Ontario Community Support Association’s Accessible Drive-to-Vaccines program provides door-to-door rides to vaccination sites for people with disabilities, including seniors with mobility issues. To determine eligibility, identify a local transportation provider and request service, visit www.ontariocommunitysupport.ca.
Reminder – virtual CBT for insomnia webinar today
In this webinar co-hosted with Queen’s FHT, we will review the first line treatment for chronic insomnia and describe its components. They will also explore how to set up and run a virtual group program in and interprofessional team setting. Slides and video are now available here.
Last reminder- nominations to the AFHTO Board of Directors open until July 30
Are you interested in serving on the AFHTO board of directors? The Governance Committee of AFHTO’s board invites anyone who works within an AFHTO member organization to apply. Please share this call for nominations with all who work in your team and with members on your Board. Learn more about how you can take on a leadership role here. Deadline July 30.
COVID-19 immunization reconciliation tool, maternal-neonatal guidelines and more
Recent updates include:
We continue to update several pages on our site with resources and news:
Request for updated member renewal forms
Thank you to all our members for renewing another year. To ensure our records are kept up to date (and to keep our auditors happy), please email your completed member renewal form to info@afhto.ca if you haven’t already done so. Any change in the leadership triad, patient numbers, etc. helps inform our advocacy and our ability to connect the right people with the most relevant information available. Contact us at info@afhto.ca if you need a new form.
New resources- seniors’ mental health & developmental surveillance
Reminder- seeking pharmacists’ input on experiences and contributions to mental health care during COVID-19
If you are a primary care pharmacist, University of Toronto researchers want to hear from you! Their study seeks to examine primary care team pharmacist contributions to patient mental health care, and understand pharmacists’ experiences with collaboration during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 15 to 20 min survey includes a mix of multiple choice and open response questions.
This study from the University of Toronto is co-led by Dr. Rachelle Ashcroft, Assistant Professor at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, and Dr. Lisa Dolovich, Professor & Dean at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy.
To take the survey, please click on this link: https://bit.ly/SplPharm.
Aggregate Primary Care Vaccination Report Info Session, July 29, 2021
Learn more about the new COVaxON Aggregate Primary Care Vaccination Report, as helpful strategies are discussed for accessing the reports and using the information to reach out to patients to understand their needs and discuss the benefits of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. Find out more here.
How to Speak with Loved Ones About Getting Vaccinated, Aug. 4, 2021
Join Dr. Danyaal Raza, Rexdale Vaccine Ambassador Terrence Rodriguez, and Behavioural Neuroscientist Olga Rodríguez-Sierra on having conversations with vaccine hesitant community members. Sign up here.
Applying the Ontario Health Asthma Quality Standards for Children and Adolescents in your practice, August 12, 2021
Hosted by Ontario Health and the Lung Health Foundation. Find out more here.
Pandemic Recovery and Chronic Disease Management: Primary Care for Adults with Asthma, August 19, 2021
Hosted by Ontario Health and the Lung Health Foundation. Find out more here.
Introduction to CARF Network Accreditation for Ontario Health Teams, Aug. 18, 2021
Hosted by CARF Canada. Register here.
NPAO 2021 Virtual Annual Conference, Sep. 23-24, 2021
This years’ Conference theme is Nurse Practitioner: Innovative Influencers of Health and Wellness. Find out more.