Respiratory Illness Season, tools for your practice and more from the OCFP
Updated: November 24, 2023
The fall is always a busy time of year, especially in family medicine. With an increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations and an anticipated increase in rates of other respiratory illnesses, we have compiled tools and resources to support you in your clinic.
Please find these resources, as well as additional tools for your practice, important reminders and other opportunities below. Additional partner opportunities can be viewed here.
Practice Ready Ontario is recruiting rural and remote family physicians to assess the knowledge, skills and suitability of candidates in providing safe care for patients in Ontario, beginning in Spring 2024. Assessors will receive training and competitive remuneration. Review the assessor information flyer or fill out the expression of interest form.
In partnership with the OCFP, researchers at the University of Toronto are seeking nominations of high-performing early career family physicians (first five years in practice) in Ontario for a study that will help inform improvements to education and assessment. Contact Dr. Monica Aggarwal with nominations.
Innovative initiatives that will lessen administrative burden for family doctors could be eligible for funding through the Health Care Unburdened Grant. It’s a new program from the CMA, MD Financial and Scotiabank offering $10 million in grants to non-profit organizations tackling this challenge. Send questions to [email protected].
OntarioMD’s Health Report Manager (HRM) Experience Improvement Task Force has released recommendations for hospitals and EMR vendors in an effort to address concerns family doctors have with both volume and quality of digital reports. OCFP looks forward to the implementation of recommendations to reduce administrative burden.
Parents in Ontario can now screen for Biliary Atresia using an Infant Stool Colour Card. Newborn Screening Ontario is sharing more information about this latest screening initiative and how babies with Biliary Atresia can access care faster.
The Ontario Photo Card is available through ServiceOntario for aging patients or those who face a medical suspension of their driver’s license so they can continue to access services that require government issued identification.
Screening.ca is an evidence-based tool, guiding preventative care and screening decisions through sociodemographic information, and provides tailored recommendations based on systematic reviews and studies of health inequities. The tool supports improved care for people who face barriers including those who are Indigenous, racialized, 2SLGBTQ+, as well as those who live with disabilities and/or low incomes.
Dr. Janine McCready provided a respiratory update on “Changing The Way We Work” on October 20, 2023 and Dr. Joan Chan shared her advice for counselling kids and balancing workload. The recording is available.
Dr. Gerald Evans shared a COVID-19 update on “Changing The Way We Work” on November 17, 2023 and Drs. Paul Kurdyak and Leah Skory discussed Ontario’s Structured Psychotherapy program. The recording and a list of patient and physician resources, including how to access the Ontario Structured Psychotherapy program is now available.
Join our next “Changing The Way We Work” on December 15, 2023 for COVID-19 updates and tools OCFP is providing to support continuity of care in family medicine. A registration link will be made available here in the next few weeks.
The 2024 Family Medicine Summit includes live-streamed days on January 26 and 27, 2023. Featured keynote speakers include Dr. Hayley Wickenheiser, Dr. Teresa Chan, Dr. Avi Goldfarb and Dr. Chika Stacy Oriuwa along with additional presentations from today’s family physician leaders. Register.
Thank you to all sponsors including our gold sponsors, Gotodoctor, The Society of Rural Physicians of Canada and The Association of Hearing Instrument Practitioners of Ontario (AHIP).
