The Emerging & Re-emerging Infections Network (ERIN) (in partnership with Primary Health Care and with support from Research, Innovation and Discovery), are excited to announce the launch of the STI Care Now Initiative, a proof of concept. This project aims to improve access to testing and treatment for Nova Scotians at risk for gonorrhea and chlamydia in the Truro and Halifax regions. 

The ERIN HUB (https://library.nshealth.ca/ERIN-Hub/STBBI) hosts information regarding STI Care Now for participants, NS Health Staff and Physicians, and all relevant contact information.

Project Overview

The STI Care Now Initiative will streamline testing and treatment for sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STBBIs) through the following:

• At-home testing Kits: Mailing participants easy-to-use kits to self-administer tests.
• Virtual Treatment Assessments: Offering remote consultations with pharmacists to assess and discuss test results.
• Pharmacist-Prescribed Treatments: Enabling pharmacists to prescribe necessary treatments based on virtual assessments and facilitating access to STI clinics for further assessment and treatment.

Key Dates:

• Pilot Launch Date: July 8th, 2024
• Pilot Phase: Summer/Fall 2024
• Full Implementation: Additional STIs, BBIs and more Nova Scotia communities will be added this fall.

HOW CAN PROVIDERS HELP?

Your participation and support are crucial to the success of this project.

• Raise Awareness: Help spread the word about the availability of at-home testing kits in the Halifax and Truro regions
• Collaborate: Work closely with team members and stakeholders to ensure smooth rollout of the program.
• Provide Feedback: Share constructive feedback during the pilot phase to help refine and improve the project.

Electronic referrals (eReferrals) offer many benefits for patients, providers, and the health system. To realize these benefits, we must continue to support users to make the most of this tool.

We will keep listening to and learning from providers to understand how we can improve eReferrals, their integration with electronic medical record systems (EMRs), and the electronic referral forms used in the tool.

A team involving Nova Scotia Health (NSH) and IWK Health (IWK) representatives regularly meets with our eReferrals vendor, OceanMD, to review and prioritize enhancement requests. So far, dozens of enhancements have been made based on feedback from Nova Scotia users. 

An overview of key eReferrals made since April can be found here.

Our joint eForm review committee also reviews user feedback and we are pleased to highlight below some important eForm changes below.

Thank you to the members of our primary care and surgeon advisory groups and other users and teams who have shared your suggestions and helped us make important changes for users.

Please keep sharing your feedback, support requests and eForm changes with us at: www.referralsns.ca/contact-us.

Recent eForm improvements!

The Integrated Access and Flow Network is pleased to share a significant milestone in the Nova Scotia Health provincial Alternate Level of Care (ALC) project. The new ALC Tableau Dashboard, which pulls real-time data from Meditech and STAR, is now available. This dashboard provides better data and timely information, allowing frontline staff to visualize their clinical contributions, and for management to have visibility to make informed decisions specific to discharge resource allocation.

From what we know, this has been a 14-year journey. This is also the first time in Nova Scotia Health history, that all three key components – Nova Scotia Health ALC definition, standardized designation, and data capturing – are working in concert, enabling data retrieval through the dashboard.

Data Note: Patients who were designated as ALC before April 30, 2024, still contribute to the dashboard. However, due to prior inconsistencies in the ALC designation/documentation process, not all their ALC days will be properly flagged and accounted for. Until all these patients have been discharged and the new/consistent process is followed across Nova Scotia Health, the total ALC length of stay indicator may not be entirely accurate.

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions. If you cannot access the dashboard, please let us know via the accessandflownetwork@nshealth.ca and we will work with the Tableau team for a solution.

Nova Scotia Health is calling on healthcare providers, physicians, managers, and team leads with experience in patient discharge or a strong grasp of the Home First philosophy to join the Provincial Home First Working Group. This initiative aims to enhance patient care and streamline discharge processes.

Background

The Home First journey began with a survey in the summer of 2023, where 144 participants from various zones shared their insights on their Home First understanding and experience. Key findings include:

• 65% see Home First as a supportive philosophy with dedicated resources and policies.
• A broad understanding emphasizes returning patients home with necessary supports and respecting their choices.
• 64% have already implemented elements of Home First, but there is a strong call for more education, support, and resources.

Objectives of the Working Group

• Develop a Home First Framework leveraging the National Health Services (England) Home First Practical Guide and Dignity of Risk.
• Create Home First Guidelines linked to Overstay Policy and Alternate Level of Care.
• Develop educational training tools and resources for frontline staff.

Who Should Apply

The Provincial Home First Working Group is looking for individuals who:

• Have experience with patient discharge
•  Understand and advocate for the Home First philosophy.
• Are committed to improving patient care and discharge processes.

How to Apply

Submit your expression of interest no later than September 22, 2024. Include your name, role, and a brief description of your experience with Home First services or programs.

For more information or to submit your expression of interest, please contact phuong.nguyen@nshealth.ca.

The One Person One Record (OPOR) Program is pleased to welcome Dr. Julie Maranda as interim program Chief Medical Information Officer (CMIO) for OPOR. Dr. Maranda will be covering all OPOR-related CMIO duties while Dr. Ashley Miller is on maternity leave. Dr. Matthew Clarke will continue as Associate CMIO for IWK Health and Nova Scotia Health.

Dr. Maranda is a family physician and hospitalist and has provided obstetrics care for most of her career. “I have loved having the privilege to take care of patients from birth to death, and really appreciate the variety that I’ve been able to experience,” says Dr. Maranda. Throughout her career, she has taken on leadership roles and completed an MBA in Digital Transformation. “I felt this was important to equip me for the transformation that healthcare needs to embark upon. With the COVID-19 pandemic and increasing medical leadership needs in our healthcare system, I significantly reduced my clinical work to focus more on systemic change.”

That focus on systemic change has brought her to Nova Scotia and the OPOR Program. “I was drawn to the scope of this project as I believe in the province-wide approach for a clinical information system (CIS) implementation,” she says. “I also feel very strongly about patient-centered design that the One Person One Record vision statement prioritizes.” Dr. Maranda has experience with multiple electronic medical record systems and believes Nova Scotians will be well served by the future OPOR-CIS. Learn more about Dr. Maranda here.

Because of the Halifax Infirmary Redevelopment, physicians parking at the Robie St parkade will move to the underground parking garage at the VMB/ABJL as of Sunday, August 25, 2024. Your parking access card will not change—it will be reprogrammed automatically. There are no other changes to physician parking at the QEII. If you have any questions, please contact optprogram@nshealth.ca.

Join Dalhousie University for the second lecture of the Dalhousie Global Mental Health Guest Lecture Series presented by Professor Swaran P. Singh, Professor of Social and Community Psychiatry and Director, Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing Research, University of Warwick; and, Associate Medical Director, R&I, Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust.

Visit the event page or scan the QR code below for more details and to register.

Registration will close at Midnight on Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024.

Our Medical Affairs team is growing. This is a new section that will introduce the Medical Affairs team members each week so that physicians can see the many people contributing to a better organization for you.

Meet Rebecca Cassidy, Physician Recruitment Consultant for Western Zone

We are thrilled to announce the expansion of our Physician Recruitment team with the addition of our new Physician Recruitment Consultant, Rebecca Cassidy.

Rebecca is a passionate community advocate, with extensive experience in both private and public health care. She joins Nova Scotia Health as a Physician Recruitment Consultant for the Western Zone, focusing on Southwest Nova, and will be based in Yarmouth.

Rebecca brings valuable expertise from her previous role as Manager of Clinical Services in private health care, and her experience as a Community Navigator for the Yarmouth Medical Professional Recruitment Retention Partnership. She is well-versed in rural recruitment strategies and has even presented on the subject to the Standing Committee of Health. With her background in recruitment efforts and rural health care, Rebecca is ready to make a positive impact in her new role.

Outside of work, Rebecca enjoys spending her summer days with her golden retriever and tending to her gardens and bees.

Welcome to the team, Rebecca!

Dr. William (Billy) Silverstein, recipient of the Future Leader in Choosing Wisely Award and Associate Editor for JAMA Internal Medicine: Teachable Moments, shares insights into his leadership journey and his efforts to promote resource stewardship in medicine. LISTEN

CSPL podcasts are now available on Apple podcasts.

1-833-876-1724

If you're a physician seeking support for your practice or wishing to provide feedback, please reach out to our hotline. Our dedicated team is ready to assist you.

In the event we're engaged in another call, rest assured your voice message will be promptly addressed within one business day. Your concerns will be directed to the Medical Affairs team and our health system partners for resolution.

Our task force is committed to returning calls and scheduling meetings with practices at mutually convenient times.

Wellness resources for physicians have been migrated to an actively monitored page on the Physician Information Portal. You can access it here.

If you have an item to submit, please reply to this newsletter.