Thank you for your continued efforts to focus us as Albertans and those who provide care when we are ill or injured. I would like to endorse your comments and share a vignette that occurred to me this week that reinforces that getting information to family doctors is not at all a priority. This is very alarming. I took an elderly friend to a follow up appointment with a specialist this week, in an outpatient clinic at one of the major hospitals. Our friend has dementia so is not able to communicate information between health professionals. While the visit to the specialist reported great progress with the patients situation, when I asked how this information would get back to the family doctor, he asked who it was. I said the name of the doctor and the facility (a family doctor providing care to our friend in a long term care facility). There was no names of a family doctor on her file, and no one asked for it. When I asked about the information flow (and couldnt’ provide the first name of the doctor, the specialist shrugged and said ‘It will be n Netcare’. I had asked about a medication (blood thinner) that the patient had been on since the surgery and he said it should be discontinued. So I went back to the Nursing Home and shared the results of the visit and the fact that the Doctor had said the drug should be discontinued, and the nursing staff there said they would communicate that to the doctor. Because of my involvement and attention to these matters, I knew to ask and communicate (as the patient’s advocate) key information back to the primary care providers. How many Albertans ASSUME that information is shared efficiently and effectively with the various care providers they come into contact with?? It’s time we heightened the awareness among ALbertans that this is very far from the truth and as the article above reflects.. in fact the situation is getting worse.
Thank you for your continued efforts to focus us as Albertans and those who provide care when we are ill or injured. I would like to endorse your comments and share a vignette that occurred to me this week that reinforces that getting information to family doctors is not at all a priority. This is very alarming. I took an elderly friend to a follow up appointment with a specialist this week, in an outpatient clinic at one of the major hospitals. Our friend has dementia so is not able to communicate information between health professionals. While the visit to the specialist reported great progress with the patients situation, when I asked how this information would get back to the family doctor, he asked who it was. I said the name of the doctor and the facility (a family doctor providing care to our friend in a long term care facility). There was no names of a family doctor on her file, and no one asked for it. When I asked about the information flow (and couldnt’ provide the first name of the doctor, the specialist shrugged and said ‘It will be n Netcare’. I had asked about a medication (blood thinner) that the patient had been on since the surgery and he said it should be discontinued. So I went back to the Nursing Home and shared the results of the visit and the fact that the Doctor had said the drug should be discontinued, and the nursing staff there said they would communicate that to the doctor. Because of my involvement and attention to these matters, I knew to ask and communicate (as the patient’s advocate) key information back to the primary care providers. How many Albertans ASSUME that information is shared efficiently and effectively with the various care providers they come into contact with?? It’s time we heightened the awareness among ALbertans that this is very far from the truth and as the article above reflects.. in fact the situation is getting worse.