Category Archive

Ahead of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30, VPSA’s Engaging Physicians in Indigenous Cultural (EPIC) Safety Task Group is highlighting one iCON–VCH Indigenous Health Round each week. These free, physician-focused webinars support health-care professionals in ongoing learning about how to provide culturally safe care for Indigenous patients, families, and communities. Indigenous Health Rounds are accredited by UBC Continuing Professional Development (UBC CPD), allowing participating physicians to earn CPD … Read More

Urgent and Primary Care Centres (UPCCs) are a relatively new option for patients accessing health care in VCH. Providers from multiple clinical backgrounds (e.g., nurse practitioners, family physicians, emergency medicine physicians, and community specialists) collaborate at these centres and a need to understand role clarity has been identified as a concern. To promote teamwork and foster a positive work culture and collegial environment, Medical Coordinator, Quality and Education for the … Read More

People with substance use disorder make up a significant number of patients admitted to VGH. Substance use disorders and related mental illnesses, behavioural disorders, and stigmatization can present tremendous challenges and barriers to hospital-based care for both patients and staff. These can lead to poor patient experiences, worse outcomes, added medical expenses, and provider workload, frustration, and stress. VPSA’s Substance Use Disorder Patient and Provider Experience Task Group is aiming … Read More

Once upon a time (recently, actually), VPSA’s Community Building & Wellness (CB&W) Task Group approved funding for Short Story Disc, a digital service from which VMDAS members can download unlimited content for free on their smartphone and take story reading to a whole new level. The service offers bites of literature in one-, three- or five-minute reading times. There’s access to thousands of fiction and creative non-fiction works written by … Read More

Before joining the Anesthesiology Department at VGH, Dr. Shamir Karmali worked in the UK as a critical physician and anesthesiologist. It was standard practice there for visual cognitive aids to accompany the emergency tracheostomy pack of all patients who had a tracheostomy or laryngectomy. Dr. Karmali believed adopting such a practice here would enhance patient safety. To achieve this goal, he applied for and received funding from VPSA’s Small Steps, … Read More