Due to the fragmented nature of sexual medicine provision on Vancouver Island, an interdisciplinary working group was struck to create a framework for care, align team members, and streamline processes. Dr. Nathan Hoag received a South Island FEI Engagement grant to bring together South island urologists, gynecologists, psychiatrists, general practitioners, […]
The final few weeks of the first trimester of pregnancy can be a time filled with worry. Women can have symptoms such a bleeding or cramping that may suggest an early pregnancy loss, but cannot know for sure without an ultrasound. In the final few weeks of a pregnancy, questions […]
Negotiating new contracts is often a complex endeavor, particularly when parties have had a challenging relationship in the past. This was particularly the case in the contract negotiations between the Victoria Hospitalist Service and Island Health, which had stalled during 2014 and 2015, reaching an all-time low in March 2015 […]
Like many FP OBs, Dr. Telen Harper knows that the safe and effective management of labour and delivery requires seamless collaboration among primary care providers, midwives, obstetricians, pediatricians, anesthetists, and nursing staff. With growing evidence to support alternative practices in the management of labour and delivery, Dr. Harper offered a […]
When Royal Jubilee Hospital (RJH) was designated the site for suspected and confirmed COVID patients in southern Vancouver Island in early March, teams of physicians and allied health personnel scrambled to decant the hospital, going from a census of 115% to 70% within weeks. The effort involved in this process […]
Like all physicians, pediatricians face burnout issues, and sometimes struggle to feel connected with colleagues and administration. These stresses can be exacerbated by complex practices involving young high-needs patients. Pediatricians Jennifer Balfour and Lauren Kitney felt that they and their pediatric colleagues could benefit from an opportunity to step-back, assess […]
Rooming-in is the standard of care for healthy babies born at Victoria General Hospital, meaning that they stay in the same room as their mother for the duration of their hospital stay. Babies born to mothers with opioid use disorder should have the same care. However, in a significant portion […]
Approximately 800 cardiac surgery cases are done each year at Royal Jubilee Hospital and it is standard for the anesthesiologist to perform an intraoperative transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE). However, when the TEE shows an interesting finding which poses significant diagnostic challenges, there has been no formal mechanism to communicate this more […]
How do you improve your management of critical medical emergencies, if you don’t face them often? This challenge faces most medical departments. Many have pointed to the value of simulation to enable staff and clinicians to practice their skills in a non-critical context. However, logistical and administrative barriers can present […]
In October 2018, hospitalist Dr. Shauna Tierney was in the audience when Island Health’s Geo 4 Executive Director Marko Peljhan presented a challenge to the South Island Hospitalists: By 2040, Victoria will need another 500 hospital beds to keep up with the demands of the population, but how they would […]