COVID-19: Managing wait times

Disclosure of patient safety incidents to patients or caregivers is a legal, ethical and professional obligation for physicians. Appropriate disclosure conversations facilitate dialogue during the incident management process and reinforces patient-physician trust. In this month’s episode, Steven and Yolanda discuss the best ways to handle disclosure of patient safety incidents and the importance of efficient communication in addressing patients’ needs throughout the process.

Decision support tools are designed to ease shared decision-making and patient involvement on health care decisions. When patients actively participate in decision-making and understand what is required of them, they are more likely to follow through. To establish an efficient shared decision making process, physicians must consider patients values, preferences and circumstances. In this month’s episode of CMPA Practically Speaking, our experts discuss the importance of patient’s decision aids to overcome communication challenges and build a strong patient-physician relationship.

When considering medical clearance for participation after injuries, there are numerous components to take into consideration to ensure physicians act within the standard of care, and that they keep patients’ best interest in mind. In this month’s episode, Steven and Yolanda discuss the precautions and responsibilities of both parties in assuring a safe return environment. The duo highlights the importance of shared decision-making to establish an efficient framework.

Related CMPA Perspective article:Can intraoperative decisions be diagnostic errors?https://www.cmpa-acpm.ca/en/advice-publications/browse-articles/2020/can-intraoperative-decisions-be-diagnostic-errors

Related CMPA Perspective article:Team debriefs: Participate and minimize your medical-legal riskshttps://www.cmpa-acpm.ca/en/advice-publications/browse-articles/2019/team-debriefs-participate-and-minimize-your-medical-legal-risksInstitute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Framework for Improvementhttp://www.ihi.org/resources/Pages/HowtoImprove/default.aspx

Related CMPA Perspective article:Closing or leaving a practice: Tips for primary care physicianshttps://www.cmpa-acpm.ca/en/advice-publications/browse-articles/2020/closing-or-leaving-a-practice-tips-for-primary-care-physicians

Occasionally, physicians may be asked to provide medical care outside of their area of expertise. During the COVID-19 pandemic, for example, more physicians have been asked to fill-in on the ICU and in long-term care facilities. What are your rights as a physician? How can you best handle the situation? How do you ensure your patients’ safety? This episode covers these – and other questions – related to the risks and responsibilities when covering other specialties.

CMPA Perspective article:Why do you need to know? A balancing act for accessing personal health informationwww.cmpa-acpm.ca/en/advice-publications/browse-articles/2020/why-do-you-need-to-know-a-balancing-act-for-accessing-personal-health-information

Concerns surrounding wait times in the delivery of health care are not new, however, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in further concerns due to the postponement of elective procedures. In this episode, Dr. Steven Bellemare and Dr. Yolanda Madarnas discuss the impact of wait times on patients, physicians, and the healthcare system with Dr. Wendy Levinson, Chair of Choosing Wisely Canada. They provide timely tips on the safe management of wait times and resource utilization in order to promote safe care and decrease medical-legal risk for physicians.

CMPA Perspective article:Providing virtual care during the COVID-19 pandemicwww.cmpa-acpm.ca/en/advice-publications/browse-articles/2020/providing-virtual-care-during-the-covid-19-pandemic