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/Family Experience
Public to Private to Public?
Alberta’s medical laboratories have gone from public, to private, and back to public in less than one year. What has this back and forth action cost Albertans? This and other questions are explored in this CBC report.
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.
How to Fix Healthcare?
Healthcare is a concern for many people. In this X thread, Dr. Meddings identifies what is needed to improve healthcare in Alberta. According to him, “[t]here is nothing magical about how to fix our healthcare system. There is no ‘private’ in here and it is all currently doable given political will.”
OK, guess I'm grumpy these days. Here is a short thread on what Alberta needs to do to fix healthcare. If I were to give a title? Perhaps "It's Not Hard. Really."
— Jon Meddings (@JMeddings) August 18, 2023
This is inspired by the Manitoba Doctors recommendations – they get this right. https://t.co/ydTZFN7ra6
An Important Meeting
“Alberta Health Services (AHS) is looking for ways in which it can prevent further closures at the Pincher Creek Health Centre’s emergency department.”
A public meeting will be held on Tuesday, August 15, 2023, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Pincher Creek Community Hall. Everyone is welcome to attend. Click here for more information.
Without OB Services
What is it like to have no access to obstetric services? Join this discussion to find out.
There is a small grassroots organization in rural Alberta that is trying to improve access to OB care in their communities. Here is the information for their next meeting-community leaders are encouraged to join and listen to what living without access OB services is like. pic.twitter.com/fCcEqvctPC
— Andrea Dekeseredy (@AndieYEG) June 26, 2023
Watch “What are we doing to our kids?” on YouTube
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.
ChatGPT versus doctors?
You have probably heard about ChatGPT and it’s ability to write essays, articles etc. However, what role could it play in healthcare? More specifically, how does ChatGPT measure up to doctors? To find out the answers to these and other questions, check out the following.
