Surrey-North Delta Division of Family Practice

Respiratory Illness Resurgence: Are You Prepared?

With Alan Huang, Physician Engagement Lead

Since the COVID-19 pandemic was declared in BC, the Surrey-North Delta Division of Family Practice (SNDDofFP) has been supporting community physicians with the shift in primary care delivery through various initiatives and communication channels. 

While we have flattened the curve in BC and the recent number of reported cases is relatively small, the projection into the summer and fall is still largely uncertain. According to the COVID-19 Modelling Update released by the BC Centre for Disease Control on July 20th, we are now starting to see a slight increase in transmission rate, and increasing numbers of new cases during the latter part of the summer remain a possibility. Depending on how the general public responds to the Phase 3 re-opening in BC and how willing they are to follow safety measures, including social distancing, we may see either a big second wave or smaller pockets of outbreaks that coincide with the regular flu season during the fall and winter months.

Numbers of flu-like symptom cases will likely increase significantly and should be treated with the highest precaution through measures such as PPE and protective barriers, virtual care, and social distancing rules inside the clinic.

Thankfully, we now have a better idea of how to prepare ourselves for these scenarios. Now is the time to take an advantage of the key lessons that we've learned so far, and to make sure you are prepared before we see another sudden surge in flu-like symptom cases.

Let’s examine some of the key lessons in more detail together.

Overview

Drawing from our experiences over the past several months, as well as provincial guidelines and member feedback, we have compiled some important steps you can take to protect yourself, your patients, your clinic staff, and your business:

Be prepared with personal protective equipment (PPE), a work safe plan, and a workflow plan for all clinic staff in case of an emergency.

Learn about your panel through panel management, and prioritize patients according to their health conditions.

Be proactive in contacting your patients and delivering primary care through various communication channels, including virtual care.

Maintain open communication channels with the Division.
Work with a team of other allied healthcare providers and existing services in a team-based care environment.

Stay current with what what is happening at all levels (e.g. clinic level and policy level), and be ready to implement changes with support from the Division and the Practice Support Program (PSP).

The safety measures you put in place now will continue to play a crucial safety role during any resurgence of flu-like symptoms. WorksafeBC offers three main guidelines, covered in detail on their website:

  1. Identify exposure hazards and develop measures to control exposure.

  2. Control the number of people on site.

  3. Prohibit workers who are sick and those returning from outside of Canada.

Have a Safety Plan in Place

As we continue to adapt to the “new norm”, safety remains a top priority. This includes physician and patient safety, as well as the safety of employees. Creating a safety plan, developing clear policies for your clinic, and doing your best to build up your supply of PPE are important ways that you can prepare for this year’s flu season.

For guidance in creating a safety plan, please review the updated WorkSafeBC COVID-19 and Returning to Safe Operation – Phase 2 guide to ensure the safety of your employees at work. WorkSafeBC has also developed the following two checklists (please download the guide for more details):

COVID-19 Safety Checklist.png

Readiness to Reopen Chart.png

Other Business Safety Resources

The Surrey Board of Trade has set up a website with various PPE vendors, including masks and gowns. If you are not able to obtain PPE through your regular channel, you can also request PPE using the form listed in the physician newsletter.

Doctors of BC continues to provide updates on:

Communicate With Your Patients

The Doctors of Technology Office recently released a GETTING PATIENTS BACK TO PRACTICE Guide For Both Virtual and In-Clinic/Blended Visit Models which provided a few examples of how you can communicate to your patients quickly, and to ensure that patients know:

  • What services are available and when?
  • How they can be seen (virtually vs in-person)?
  • What to expect and prepare for prior to their next visit?

Back to Practice Checklist.png

To further promote your clinic, the Surrey-North Delta Division of Family Practice can provide assistance with the following:

  1. Support transition to virtual care (e.g. doxy.me)
  2. Promote your clinic through our general info line and Health Promotion line
  3. Set up a website for your clinic

Communicate With Your Division of Family Practice

During the pandemic, SNDDofFP reached out to physicians through newsletters, townhalls, and surveys. Many initiatives were developed and implemented to address the needs of our physicians. Referral processes (e.g. to Whalley Urgent Primary Care Centre and Community Services Nurses) for testing and home-check ups continue to be streamlined, particularly for vulnerable patients.

Knowing that PPE was in high demand for priority in-person care and that many physicians were not able to adequately care for their patients in person due to lack of PPE, SNDDofFP engaged physicians and developed several responses to addresses different scenarios.

Some of the responses included:

  • making it easier for physicians who have difficulties securing their own PPE to order PPE through Fraser Health
  • setting up a protocol for Centralized Primary Care Centres
  • supporting physicians with training on virtual care

By communicating your needs and concerns with your Physician Engagement Lead, you help us to provide meaningful support, and advocate more effectively on your behalf with our health partners.  We are here to support you.

We have worked together to combat the first wave of COVID-19 – a feat for which you deserve a heartfelt congratulations. Looking at the various initiatives we have implemented so far, we know we are much more prepared and in a better position to provide the best standard of care to our patients while being able to protect our staff, resources, and ultimately, our own wellness.

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FPSCBritish ColumbiaDoctors of BC

The Divisions of Family Practice acknowledge that we work on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of many different Indigenous Nations throughout British Columbia.

Acknowledging that we are on the traditional territories of Indigenous communities is an expression of cultural humility and involves recognizing our duty and desire to support the provision of culturally safe care to First Nations, Inuit, and Métis people in BC.