PCN Impacts | Divisions of Family Practice

How the implementation of Primary Care Networks in Fraser Northwest has impacted family doctors and patients:

Primary Care Networks \| Stories from our family doctors
RN's in Practice – Supporting the COVID-19 Response Throughout this difficult time, Registered Nurses in Practice are rising to the challenge to support their teams in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many physicians have offered words of gratitude to this vital member of their team, and have shared how the RN's in Practice have been utilized: "We need* our RN in Practice [...] to triage COVID related calls and support the MOAs who don’t have clinical knowledge”* “We are still doing PN and childhood exams and vaccines (told by PHU to keep doing these) for which [our nurse] plays a big role. She is also managing the triaging of all COVID calls” “We are asking our RN to do proactive phone visits with patients > 70 years old and not been seen by their MRP for some time to make sure they don't have health concerns that they are putting off due to fear of going anywhere, and to make them aware that their MRP can do phone visits or arrange home visits through PCN for them” “Our RN has been doing a tremendous job in working closely with our patients, consulting them on their various health concerns, utilizing the resources effectively to provide timely care and support for patients with concerns regarding COVID-19, and helping staff on various other tasks. She is a vital part of our clinic.”
RN in Practice - Improving Access to Urgent Care Advice A physician practicing in the Fraser Northwest recalls a recent day in the clinic where she had reached capacity; she was the only physician in the office and was also covering urgent cases for the three other physicians in the clinic. Being fully booked with her own patients, she was struggling to fit in patients calling in for same-day urgent care. When the medical office assistant informed her that there was a patient on the phone who was very concerned about their symptoms worsening, undoubtedly, the physician also became concerned. She needed more information to be able to assess and triage the patient, but she had limited time. She wasn’t sure if the patient should seek care in the emergency room, or if she could somehow fit them into their packed schedule. An idea sparked for the physician – the RN in practice had previous experience and training in the neurology unit, which perfectly suited the patient’s known history and symptoms. The RN took immediate action: “She triaged the patient over the phone, found out their story, and realized it wasn’t an acute symptom. It could be managed over the phone. She gave them advice, followed up with me, and made sure I agreed with her course of action. We were able to ensure the patient’s symptoms could be settled over the weekend, and they returned on Monday.” “Before the nurse, this situation could have potentially been a panic of getting the patient in, running terribly behind, and having a whole bunch of disgruntled patients. Or, if the patient’s symptoms were severe enough, I could have said ‘you either have to go to a walk in or use your discretion to go to the ER.’”
RN in Practice - "Saving the Day" A family physician practicing in the Fraser Northwest describes a recent experience whereby the clinic’s newly acquired Registered Nurse (RN) in practice saved the day: "The Registered Nurse in practice 'saved the day' and turned a thirty-minute car accident visit into a five-minute visit" On a rather busy day in the clinic, while this physician was covering another colleague’s patient load, a patient came in about a recent car accident. Car accident visits are often complex and involve a lot of detailed paperwork. The physician inquired as to whether any other colleagues in the clinic were able to take on this appointment, at which point the MOA realized that the RN was available. The RN happily jumped into action to assist, and was able to obtain a detailed, twenty-minute history, and subsequently filled out the majority of the required paperwork. The physician was briefed on the nature of the patient’s condition and highlighted the portions of the paperwork required physician input. The physician made referrals to the appropriate services and was elated! The physician states: “the nurse saved the day for me. Imagine a whole waiting room of patients in need, and spending another thirty minutes on that one visit. I was at a breaking point. I couldn’t do it. To me that’s where the RN in practice made a huge difference… as an extra helper in the clinic”.
RN in Practice - Success Story One physician in our community shared an experience in which they had a patient that required 80+ staples. The RN in Practice took care of this which incidentally freed-up the GP to see two other patients.
MHSU Clinician - Success Story One physician in our community shared an experience in which they had a patient with substance use disorder who had been in and out of the hospital half a dozen times over a period of four months. While his acute issues were patched up in the hospital, actually addressing his substance use disorder had fallen through the cracks. The family physician reached out to the MHSU Clinician, and a few days later the patient was again admitted to the hospital. However, because the Clinician was on the case, the thread was not lost due to admission this time. Thanks to the Clinician’s efforts crossing boundaries into Maple Ridge and connecting with his substance use counsellor and the action team, the family physician has confidence that there is a plan to connect this patient to the services he needs. "I was able to actually see him and discuss his chronic medical issues, manage his medications, and leave him with confidence that there is a team supporting him who cares about him as a human being."

Primary Care Networks | Stories from our family doctors

RN's in Practice – Supporting the COVID-19 Response

Throughout this difficult time, Registered Nurses in Practice are rising to the challenge to support their teams in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many physicians have offered words of gratitude to this vital member of their team, and have shared how the RN's in Practice have been utilized:

"We need our RN in Practice [...] to triage COVID related calls and support the MOAs who don’t have clinical knowledge”

“We are still doing PN and childhood exams and vaccines (told by PHU to keep doing these) for which [our nurse] plays a big role. She is also managing the triaging of all COVID calls”

“We are asking our RN to do proactive phone visits with patients > 70 years old and not been seen by their MRP for some time to make sure they don't have health concerns that they are putting off due to fear of going anywhere, and to make them aware that their MRP can do phone visits or arrange home visits through PCN for them”

“Our RN has been doing a tremendous job in working closely with our patients, consulting them on their various health concerns, utilizing the resources effectively to provide timely care and support for patients with concerns regarding COVID-19, and helping staff on various other tasks. She is a vital part of our clinic.”

RN in Practice - Improving Access to Urgent Care Advice

A physician practicing in the Fraser Northwest recalls a recent day in the clinic where she had reached capacity; she was the only physician in the office and was also covering urgent cases for the three other physicians in the clinic. Being fully booked with her own patients, she was struggling to fit in patients calling in for same-day urgent care. When the medical office assistant informed her that there was a patient on the phone who was very concerned about their symptoms worsening, undoubtedly, the physician also became concerned. She needed more information to be able to assess and triage the patient, but she had limited time. She wasn’t sure if the patient should seek care in the emergency room, or if she could somehow fit them into their packed schedule. An idea sparked for the physician – the RN in practice had previous experience and training in the neurology unit, which perfectly suited the patient’s known history and symptoms.

The RN took immediate action:

“She triaged the patient over the phone, found out their story, and realized it wasn’t an acute symptom. It could be managed over the phone. She gave them advice, followed up with me, and made sure I agreed with her course of action. We were able to ensure the patient’s symptoms could be settled over the weekend, and they returned on Monday.”

“Before the nurse, this situation could have potentially been a panic of getting the patient in, running terribly behind, and having a whole bunch of disgruntled patients. Or, if the patient’s symptoms were severe enough, I could have said ‘you either have to go to a walk in or use your discretion to go to the ER.’”

RN in Practice - "Saving the Day"

A family physician practicing in the Fraser Northwest describes a recent experience whereby the clinic’s newly acquired Registered Nurse (RN) in practice saved the day:

"The Registered Nurse in practice 'saved the day' and turned a thirty-minute car accident visit into a five-minute visit"

On a rather busy day in the clinic, while this physician was covering another colleague’s patient load, a patient came in about a recent car accident. Car accident visits are often complex and involve a lot of detailed paperwork. The physician inquired as to whether any other colleagues in the clinic were able to take on this appointment, at which point the MOA realized that the RN was available. The RN happily jumped into action to assist, and was able to obtain a detailed, twenty-minute history, and subsequently filled out the majority of the required paperwork. The physician was briefed on the nature of the patient’s condition and highlighted the portions of the paperwork required physician input. The physician made referrals to the appropriate services and was elated! The physician states: “the nurse saved the day for me. Imagine a whole waiting room of patients in need, and spending another thirty minutes on that one visit. I was at a breaking point. I couldn’t do it. To me that’s where the RN in practice made a huge difference… as an extra helper in the clinic”.

RN in Practice - Success Story

One physician in our community shared an experience in which they had a patient that required 80+ staples. The RN in Practice took care of this which incidentally freed-up the GP to see two other patients.

MHSU Clinician - Success Story

One physician in our community shared an experience in which they had a patient with substance use disorder who had been in and out of the hospital half a dozen times over a period of four months. While his acute issues were patched up in the hospital, actually addressing his substance use disorder had fallen through the cracks.

The family physician reached out to the MHSU Clinician, and a few days later the patient was again admitted to the hospital. However, because the Clinician was on the case, the thread was not lost due to admission this time. Thanks to the Clinician’s efforts crossing boundaries into Maple Ridge and connecting with his substance use counsellor and the action team, the family physician has confidence that there is a plan to connect this patient to the services he needs.

"I was able to actually see him and discuss his chronic medical issues, manage his medications, and leave him with confidence that there is a team supporting him who cares about him as a human being."