A physician’s workload can be overwhelming and stressful. But we’re more than doctors. We have families and we have passions outside of work. How do we balance the demands of one without sacrificing the others? According to Dr. Esta Bovill, it takes preparation, stamina and appreciation. These were three of the four things she learned by competing in the grueling Marathon des Sables in 2013. (The fourth was that she … Read More
Excellent results coming in for project funded jointly by VPSA Facility Engagement and Physician Led Quality Improvement Initiatives
The hard work is paying off for Dr. Kelly Mayson and her multi-disciplinary team. Their project, Pre-operative optimization prior to major oncology surgery as a component of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery, is seeing some great preliminary results. “Over the past year we have seen a reduction in the incidence of anemia in gynaecology oncology and radical cystectomy patients presenting for major abdominal surgery based on our work,” said Dr. Mayson. … Read More
VPSA-funded project aims to improve perioperative cardiac risk evaluation and management for noncardiac surgery
Over 200 million adults undergo noncardiac surgical procedures worldwide every year. Of these, more than 8 million people will suffer a major cardiac complication. In 2016, the Canadian Cardiovascular Society introduced new guidelines on perioperative cardiac risk assessment and management for patients who undergo inpatient noncardiac surgery. With funding from VPSA, a multidisciplinary team of VCH physicians has developed standardized order sets and protocols and to educate surgical staff on … Read More
Effective communication: It really is a two-way street
When an inter-departmental survey indicated VGH’s Emergency Medicine and Internal Medicine consultant interactions and communication could be improved to optimize patient care, a group of physicians decided to do something about it. Drs. Kaitlin Lee, Joseph Bednarczyk, and Iain McCormick applied for VPSA funding for their project entitled Emergency and Internal Medicine Consultant Relations. The result was a half-day workshop on Optimizing Communication for Excellence. Twenty physicians attended the October … Read More
Rebuilding trust: VCH president and CEO addresses physicians’ concerns
“We have to prove ourselves and earn back trust.” Those comments came from VCH President and CEO Mary Ackenhusen when she was the guest at the Vancouver Physician Staff Association’s (VPSA) October Breakfast with Leaders session held at GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre. Ms. Ackenhusen noted it’s challenging to engage physicians given their schedules and also acknowledged that VCH leadership needs to be more mindful of an entrenched belief that there … Read More