If you are wondering what is happening in Alberta hospitals, here is the latest report from @yycCowboy. As you will see, many rural hospitals are struggling with closures.
Alberta Update
Category Archives: Patient Safety
Short on Time?
Even if you are scrambling to get everything done on your To-Do List and think you cannot possibly do another thing, please consider taking a few minutes to read this article by David Climenhaga. It will be time well spent.
Amplifying the Patient’s Voice
Martha’s Rule is a new policy that aims to give patients and the patient’s families greater voice in the the care their loved one is receiving without the fear of retribution or the like. Had this rule existed in 2021, perhaps Martha’s outcome would have been very different.
As Martha’s mother said, “‘I desperately wish that I’d felt able, with no fear of being the target of ill-temper or condescension, to ask for a second opinion from outside the liver team when I became concerned about Martha’s deterioration.’”
Click here to read about Martha’s Rule.
‘Everyone’s Someone’ to Me
In Alberta, there is much discussion taking place concerning addiction, overdose and treatment. Part of the reason for this because of how the provincial government has chosen to address these issues.
Not surprisingly, many people are not in favour of the direction the government is taking. One of these individuals is Bonnie Larson, a doctor who has worked with people experiencing homelessness for 15 years.
According to Larson, “Alberta’s model is unique in that it excludes harm reduction from the continuum of care. As such, it is a system akin to an extension ladder that is missing the first 10 feet of rungs. Lacking entry-level steps that meet people where they are with non-judgmental care, patient-centredness and barrier-busting pragmatism, the ROSC ladder is impossible for most to even mount, let alone climb.”
Please consider reading Larson’s article, “They’ll Always Be Everyone’s Someone to Me.” It is time well spent.
Hallway Medicine- Who is chosen?
“I invite the premier, health minster, and the people directly responsible for this decision to come for a sleepover in the hallway of one of our hospitals for a few days. Once you have experienced the indignity of eating, sleeping, and toileting in a thin gown in front of a ward full of people, visitors, doctors, custodial staff and other allied health-care workers, I might be willing to accept that this policy was made in an informed way.”
The above is from a powerful opinion piece written by Manpreet (Mona) Gill. Click here to read the full article.
Have your say
There is discussion happening surrounding mask mandates in hospitals and other care facilities. Do you think such mandates should be maintained?
Canadian hospitals need to maintain MASK mandates – Sign the Petition! https://t.co/ilY8noBrmW via @CdnChange
— Malgorzata (Gosia) Gasperowicz (@GosiaGasperoPhD) April 22, 2023
A Must Read
If you are scrambling to get things done and can only read one thing, consider reading this Twitter thread by Conor Browne.
1/ I would like to introduce you all to my mother, Margaret Browne. My mother has lived in @beaumont_care Galgorm Care Home in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, since Christmas 2020, just before the ongoing pandemic began. pic.twitter.com/721v4LJ5UH
— Conor Browne (@brownecfm) December 23, 2022
Did You Miss This Article?
If you have not read Dr. Gabriel Fabreau’s opinion piece found in the June 4, 2022, Calgary Herald, you will want to do so. Among other things, Dr. Fabreau provides an honest view of what it is like in Alberta hospitals. According to him, “After two years of COVID-19, our hospitals have never been worse off.”
Take a few minutes to read this important article. It will be time well spent.
What if air travel worked like healthcare?
Words Matter
What a difference it would make if COVID mitigation measures were referred to as “protections” in the media vs. “restrictions”.
— Oni Blackstock MD MHS (@oni_blackstock) February 11, 2022
