Qualitycast North
38 episodes - English - Latest episode: 7 days ago -The Qualitycast North podcast showcases Northern British Columbian physicians and healthcare workers and their work in improving the quality of healthcare where they live. In an interview format, our host Dr. Shyr Chui invites guests to talk about their careers in rural medicine, and how they are improving healthcare through innovative quality improvement projects. Episodes are released every 3 weeks.
Qualitycast North is a production of the Northern Health Physician Quality Improvement initiative, and is co-produced by Dr. Shyr Chui, and PQI Coaches Deanna Danskin and Andrea Goodine. This Initiative is a flagship program of the Specialist Services Committee which represents a collaborative partnership between our provincial government and Doctors of BC, and includes regular representation from the local health authorities.
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Episodes
S3 Ep5: Have you tried turning it off and on again? Healthcare IT systems, interoperability, and quality - featuring Dr. Bill Clifford
April 19, 2024 16:45 - 28 minutes - 26.3 MBIn this episode we’re talking about a topic which every practicing clinician seems to have an opinion on, whether good or bad. Healthcare IT systems and electronic medical records or ‘EMR’s. Over the last few decades, we’ve seen a massive expansion in the number and reach of these IT systems into every aspect of medicine and across our entire healthcare infrastructure. And although bringing benefits to the care we provide to patients; a new IT system somehow always seems to receive a mixed r...
S3 Ep4: Send in the drones! Cutting edge rural medicine featuring Dr. John Pawlovich and Sandy Lee
March 28, 2024 21:24 - 31 minutes - 28.8 MBDrones, which are basically autonomous flying robots, have a variety of applications from controversial military operations to agriculture, cinematography, and package deliveries. Can this technology support improved healthcare services and healthcare equity in rural locations? Northern British Columbia comprises a vast geographical area the size of France, with a significantly smaller and dispersed population. Road links and municipal infrastructure to many of the smaller communities is lim...
S3 Ep3: While your doctor’s caring for you, who’s caring for your Doctor? - Avoiding physician burn out – featuring Dr. Ingrid Cosio
March 01, 2024 22:00 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MBToday, the practice of modern medicine has changed and is now far more intense, complex and demanding of physicians than ever before. It may not come as a surprise to find, therefore, that physicians are now burning out at an ever increasing rate. The issue is one that often remains hidden or unrecognized but has implications for the resilience and sustainability of our healthcare system. On todays episode we’re talking about Physician wellness and burnout, and the inspirational work loca...
S3 Ep2: Why better medicine for Indigenous peoples is better medicine for all. Featuring Dr. Todd Alec and Dr. Sheona Mitchell-Foster
February 09, 2024 00:06 - 35 minutes - 32.7 MBIt is well established that Indigenous peoples accessing the health system are subject to harm, and a lower quality of care. Many healthcare organizations are acknowledging this truth and making commitments to address systemic anti-Indigenous racism and improve cultural safety within the healthcare system. In this episode, we’re hearing from Northern Healths collaborative medical leads for Indigenous Health Drs Todd Alec and Sheona Mitchell-Foster. Dr. Alec is an Indigenous physician origina...
S3 Ep1: Playing hide and seek with the appendix, featuring Carly Phinney and Karina Hansen
January 19, 2024 02:29 - 32 minutes - 29.4 MBWe're back with our 3rd season of Qualitycast North, with a great episode on improvement in the Ultrasound department. Ultrasound departments everywhere have never been busier and patients with complaints involving all parts of the body visit the department every day. Ultrasound is the first line choice for visualization of the appendix when diagnosing possible appendicitis in children, young adults and pregnant women. When the appendix is not visualized on ultrasound, the patient may be ...
S2 Ep11: Is it a true penicillin allergy? How penicillin allergy de-labelling is making care safer and more effective – featuring Dr. Tiffany Wong
June 30, 2023 17:24 - 24 minutes - 22.3 MBApproximately 10% of the population (which translates to around 500,000 people in BC) believes they have a penicillin allergy and are labelled as such in their patient records, but in reality, more that 90% of these patients do not have a true penicillin allergy. These false penicillin allergy labels can have serious consequences to both individual patients and the system; a false allergy label can lead to the use of an alternative antibiotic, which may have increased side effects, increase...
S2 Ep10: Supporting our physicians ongoing passion for quality improvement through the PQI provincial alumni strategy – Featuring Dr. Lawrence Yang and Dr. Hussein Kanji (available June 2, 2023)
June 02, 2023 16:12 - 42 minutes - 39.3 MBIn this episode, we are featuring the Physician Quality Improvement (PQI) program’s provincial alumni co-leads, Dr. Lawrence Yang and Dr. Hussein Kanji. Dr. Yang practices in a ‘family-family’ practice alongside his wife and brothers, providing cradle-to-grave care in Surrey, BC. Dr. Kanji is a critical care physician that works primarily in the ICU at Vancouver General Hospital and is passionate about developing the ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) programming there. Both Drs Yang...
S2 Ep9: Safe and supportive opioid prescribing for chronic pain – featuring Dr. Shannon Douglas
May 12, 2023 17:42 - 32 minutes - 30 MBDr. Shannon Douglas grew up in the Omineca area of Northern BC and has been dog sledding in the Fort St James area since her youth. She now practices medicine in the same region and is the Medical Director for the Lakes Omineca region and loves the diversity of patients she cares for everyday. This region includes Vanderhoof, Fraser Lake, Fort St. James, Burns Lake, Southside and Granisle. Chronic pain is a debilitating, complex condition that effects >60,000 people within the Northern Healt...
S2 Ep8: Maintaining quality medical education in the Northern Medical Program – featuring Dr. Paul Winwood
April 20, 2023 21:00 - 29 minutes - 27.1 MBThe Northern Medical Program (NMP) is an inspiring Northern success story based on community action. The NMP is a unique medical undergraduate program that educates future doctors with a focus on rural health. Dr. Paul Winwood is the current Regional Associate Dean of the program, a position he has had for over 10 years. Originally from the United Kingdom, Dr. Winwood settled in Prince George to practice gastroenterology, academic medicine, and provide leadership to the NMP. He loves the co...
S2 Ep7: Virtual follow-up for emergency room visits and how to publish your quality improvement work - featuring Dr. Diala El-Zammar and Dr. Raj Johal
March 30, 2023 17:06 - 35 minutes - 32.7 MBIn this episode, Qualitycast North is leaving the snowy North (yes we still have snow in March) and heading South to showcase some of the excellent Quality Improvement work being done by 2 physicians in the Fraser Valley area; Dr. Diala El-Zammar and Dr. Raj Johal. Dr. El-Zammar and her family came to Surrey, BC, Canada from Lebanon when she was 9. A self-described ‘nerd’, her love of sciences led her to medicine, and she now practices in the Emergency Department at Chilliwack General Hosp...
S2 Ep6: Implementing a collaborative maternity model in Dawson Creek, BC- featuring Dr. Magda Du Plessis
March 09, 2023 23:00 - 21 minutes - 19.6 MBDr. Magda Du Plessis is passionate about maternal care, providing the best patient care possible, and quality improvement. She is part of the multidisciplinary team at the Chickadee Maternity Collaborative in Dawson Creek, BC, that includes other physicians, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, and administrative staff. Dr. Du Plessis led the team through a quality improvement project that aimed to have 100% of eligible pregnant patients in the South Peace registered with the Chickadee Maternity C...
S2 Ep5: Addressing implicit biases through reflective practice to improve cultural safety and humility- featuring Dr. Danette Dawkin
February 16, 2023 22:34 - 20 minutes - 18.8 MBGrowing up, Dr. Danette Dawkin didn’t initially see herself pursuing medicine, but after receiving a pamphlet for UBCs rural medicine program, she was inspired to apply, and is now a family physician that has provided services in many rural and Indigenous communities across the North. Implicit biases are unconscious assumptions that can affect how patients are treated based on characteristics such as race, gender, weight, drug-use, and marital status. Dr. Dawkin recently developed a reflecti...
S2 Ep4: Leadership for healthcare quality - featuring Cathy Ulrich, CEO of Northern Health
January 27, 2023 17:29 - 27 minutes - 25.5 MBHave you ever wondered what the CEO of a large, complex, healthcare organization does, or how leadership and governance supports quality care? In this episode of Qualitycast North we further explore the relationship between quality and healthcare leadership through a conversation with the longest serving Health Authority CEO in recent provincial (BC) history, the current CEO of Northern Health, Cathy Ulrich. Cathy shares her journey through her early career in rural nursing, to rural operati...
S2 Ep3: Improving cultural safety and humility; the role of medical leadership - featuring Dr. Helene Smith
January 05, 2023 21:24 - 34 minutes - 31.2 MBDr. Helene Smith is a Family Practitioner based in Quesnel BC, and also the Chair of the Northern Health Medical Advisory Committee, also referred to as NH-MAC. Originally from South Africa, she found her niche in rural family practice, and eventually became more involved in leadership roles. Since late 2020, provincial healthcare has been making efforts to improve cultural safety for Indigenous patients and healthcare workers. In this episode, we explore the relationship between medical le...
S2 Ep2: Bringing advanced cardiovascular life support recertification training to the Stikine Health Centre - Featuring Dr. Breanne Abbott
December 08, 2022 23:00 - 21 minutes - 19.3 MBDr. Breanne Abbott is a primary care physician at the Stikine Health Centre, which is located on the traditional territory of the Tahltan Nation, in the community of Dease Lake. The Stikine Health Center is one of Northern Health’s most remote clinics and services an area the size of France, with the closest critical care facility nearly 600 kilometers away. Dr. Abbott first visited the area as a medical student and was amazed by the opportunities for recreation, the natural beauty, and the ...
S2 Ep2: Bringing advanced cardiovascular life support recertification training to the Stikine Health Centre - Featuring Dr. Breanne Abbott
December 08, 2022 23:00 - 21 minutes - 19.3 MBDr. Breanne Abbott is a primary care physician at the Stikine Health Centre, which is located on the traditional territory of the Tahltan Nation, in the community of Dease Lake. The Stikine Health Center is one of Northern Health’s most remote clinics and services an area the size of France, with the closest critical care facility nearly 600 kilometers away. Dr. Abbott first visited the area as a medical student and was amazed by the opportunities for recreation, the natural beauty, and the ...
S2 Ep1: 1: Development of an intubation checklist for Emergency physicians- featuring Dr. Herman Johal
November 17, 2022 16:00 - 29 minutes - 26.8 MBQualitycast North is thrilled to kick off its second season by featuring Dr. Herman Johal, and his quality improvement work on creating an intubation checklist for the emergency department physicians at the University Hospital of Northern BC (UHNBC), located in Prince George, BC, Canada. Dr. Johal is an emergency medicine physician practicing at the emergency department at UHNBC. He spent his childhood in Prince George, and after attending medical school, returned full circle to serve the c...
S1 Ep11: Season 1 Recap and season 2 teaser
November 14, 2022 17:27 - 10 minutes - 9.81 MBDr. Chui and Deanna reflect on the first season of Qualitycast North, discussing their favorite moments and most popular episodes, and providing some insights into some of the exciting quality improvement work that will be featured in season 2.
10: Chasing the sharper image - improving image quality in the MRI department at UHNBC in Prince George, BC. featuring Dr. Shyr Chui
May 12, 2022 21:00 - 31 minutes - 28.4 MBMagnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique used to create detailed images of organs and tissues inside the body. During an MRI scan, the patient must lie completely still in a confined space , which can be anxiety inducing, leading to fidgeting and movement. Any movement during the scan will result in lower quality images, which may require a repeat scan which is not only expensive, but is inconvenient for patients and contributes to longer wait times. Dr. Shyr Chui, a r...
S1 Ep10: Chasing the sharper image - improving image quality in the MRI department at UHNBC in Prince George, BC. featuring Dr. Shyr Chui
May 12, 2022 21:00 - 31 minutes - 28.4 MBMagnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique used to create detailed images of organs and tissues inside the body. During an MRI scan, the patient must lie completely still in a confined space , which can be anxiety inducing, leading to fidgeting and movement. Any movement during the scan will result in lower quality images, which may require a repeat scan which is not only expensive, but is inconvenient for patients and contributes to longer wait times. Dr. Shyr Chui, a r...
S1 Ep9: Acing the A1C; improving management of diabetes at the Northern Roots Primary Care Clinic in Smithers, BC - featuring Dr. Kalah Blackstock
April 21, 2022 23:30 - 23 minutes - 21.2 MBOriginally from rural Saskatchewan, Dr. Kalah Blackstock now practices medicine and is raising her young family in Smithers BC, a place she describes as a fun place to live and a supportive community for raising kids, where she loves the ‘mild’ winters. Dr. Blackstock and her team at the Northern Roots Primary Care Clinic recently sought to improve care for diabetic patients and prevent downstream complications and empower self management by focusing on increasing physical exams and frequenc...
9: Acing the A1C; improving management of diabetes at the Northern Roots Primary Care Clinic in Smithers, BC - featuring Dr. Kalah Blackstock
April 21, 2022 23:30 - 23 minutes - 21.2 MBOriginally from rural Saskatchewan, Dr. Kalah Blackstock now practices medicine and is raising her young family in Smithers BC, a place she describes as a fun place to live and a supportive community for raising kids, where she loves the ‘mild’ winters. Dr. Blackstock and her team at the Northern Roots Primary Care Clinic recently sought to improve care for diabetic patients and prevent downstream complications and empower self management by focusing on increasing physical exams and frequenc...
S1 Ep8: Engineering a win-win for everyone. Reducing hospital re-admissions in the Frail and Elderly population at GR Baker Hospital in Quesnel, BC – featuring Dr. Jon Fine
March 31, 2022 23:57 - 31 minutes - 29.3 MBDr. Jon Fine began his career as a physician in 1976 stationed in Germany with the British Royal Army Medical Corps. He came to Canada and started a family practice in Quesnel in 1981, also creating a geriatric assessment service in 1996, and has since continued to specialize in the care of elderly patients. Dr. Fine has led multiple quality improvement projects aimed at reducing emergency room visits and hospital admissions of elderly patients. He emphasizes that quality healthcare should r...
8: Engineering a win-win for everyone. Reducing hospital re-admissions in the Frail and Elderly population at GR Baker Hospital in Quesnel, BC – featuring Dr. Jon Fine
March 31, 2022 23:57 - 31 minutes - 29.3 MBDr. Jon Fine began his career as a physician in 1976 stationed in Germany with the British Royal Army Medical Corps. He came to Canada and started a family practice in Quesnel in 1981, also creating a geriatric assessment service in 1996, and has since continued to specialize in the care of elderly patients. Dr. Fine has led multiple quality improvement projects aimed at reducing emergency room visits and hospital admissions of elderly patients. He emphasizes that quality healthcare should r...
S1 Ep7: Humility is the key. Incorporating the patient and family perspective in improving healthcare quality – featuring patient advocate Duane Jackson
March 03, 2022 23:17 - 26 minutes - 24.4 MBDuane Jackson is of the Fireweed clan of the Gitanmaax people of Old Hazelton and has lived the majority of his life in Prince Rupert on the Northwest Coast of British Columbia. Duane has been a patient advocate with the Patient Voices Network for over seven years with engagements including cultural safety and humility, at-risk youth, and positive patient partnership. In this episode, Duane describes his advocacy work, the importance of collaboration and shows us his ability to bring people ...
7: Humility is the key. Incorporating the patient and family perspective in improving healthcare quality – featuring patient advocate Duane Jackson
March 03, 2022 23:17 - 26 minutes - 24.4 MBDuane Jackson is of the Fireweed clan of the Gitanmaax people of Old Hazelton and has lived the majority of his life in Prince Rupert on the Northwest Coast of British Columbia. Duane has been a patient advocate with the Patient Voices Network for over seven years with engagements including cultural safety and humility, at-risk youth, and positive patient partnership. In this episode, Duane describes his advocacy work, the importance of collaboration and shows us his ability to bring people ...
S1 Ep6: Keeping patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) out of hospital and in the community revisited – featuring Dr. Denise McLeod
February 17, 2022 23:30 - 18 minutes - 17.3 MBDr. Denise McLeod has always had a passion for caring for others. She worked for 12 years as a nurse before pursuing her dream career as a family physician. In her current practice she cares for patients across life’s spectrum, from newborns to palliative care. To better support her patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which is the 4th leading cause of death in Canada, Dr. McLeod started group medical visits, with the goal of improving self management to avoid emergenc...
6: Keeping patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) out of hospital and in the community revisited – featuring Dr. Denise McLeod
February 17, 2022 23:30 - 18 minutes - 17.3 MBDr. Denise McLeod has always had a passion for caring for others. She worked for 12 years as a nurse before pursuing her dream career as a family physician. In her current practice she cares for patients across life’s spectrum, from newborns to palliative care. To better support her patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which is the 4th leading cause of death in Canada, Dr. McLeod started group medical visits, with the goal of improving self management to avoid emergenc...
S1 Ep5: Seeing clearly in the Emergency Department. Raising quality and streamlining visits for patients with eye complaints – featuring Dr. Matthew Wahab
January 26, 2022 19:35 - 21 minutes - 19.6 MBPrince George physician Dr. Matthew Wahab spent several years as a software developer before eventually deciding to pursue a career in medicine. He now loves going to work everyday in the Emergency Department at UHNBC and greatly appreciates the good personal and professional quality of life practicing in the North provides. In this episode Dr. Wahab shares how quality improvement helped him tackle the annoying problem of a lack of proper visual acuity checks being done on patients with eye ...
5: Seeing clearly in the Emergency Department. Raising quality and streamlining visits for patients with eye complaints – featuring Dr. Matthew Wahab
January 26, 2022 19:35 - 21 minutes - 19.6 MBPrince George physician Dr. Matthew Wahab spent several years as a software developer before eventually deciding to pursue a career in medicine. He now loves going to work everyday in the Emergency Department at UHNBC and greatly appreciates the good personal and professional quality of life practicing in the North provides. In this episode Dr. Wahab shares how quality improvement helped him tackle the annoying problem of a lack of proper visual acuity checks being done on patients with eye ...
4: More than just a pretty picture. Getting the right x-rays first time, every time – Featuring Dr. Joe Costa
January 07, 2022 16:47 - 21 minutes - 20 MBA passion for hockey and sports eventually led Dr. Joe Costa to a career in orthopaedic surgery. Orthopaedic surgeries always require diagnostic images, such as x-rays, but due to variation in ordering pathways, up to 30% of x-rays ordered are not what the surgeon is looking for. This leads to repeated x-rays which are expensive for the healthcare system, and frustrating for patients. In this episode Dr. Costa discusses how he and his team aimed to improve the proportion of appropriate, comp...
S1 Ep4: More than just a pretty picture. Getting the right x-rays first time, every time – Featuring Dr. Joe Costa
January 07, 2022 16:47 - 21 minutes - 20 MBA passion for hockey and sports eventually led Dr. Joe Costa to a career in orthopaedic surgery. Orthopaedic surgeries always require diagnostic images, such as x-rays, but due to variation in ordering pathways, up to 30% of x-rays ordered are not what the surgeon is looking for. This leads to repeated x-rays which are expensive for the healthcare system, and frustrating for patients. In this episode Dr. Costa discusses how he and his team aimed to improve the proportion of appropriate, comp...
3: Long Distance Medicine. Setting up a rural specialist tele-kidney care service from scratch – featuring Dr. Anurag Singh
December 16, 2021 22:00 - 30 minutes - 28.3 MBIn this episode we interview Dr. Anurag Singh, nephrologist and Medical Lead for the Northern Health Kidney Care program. Dr. Singh discusses the challenges he and his team face providing a regional kidney-care service across the massive geographical area of Northern BC, and how implementing a new telemedicine service improved care for patients in rural communities. In addition to improving access to care in rural communities, the tele-kidney care project achieved success in increasing the ...
S1 Ep3: Long Distance Medicine. Setting up a rural specialist tele-kidney care service from scratch – featuring Dr. Anurag Singh
December 16, 2021 22:00 - 30 minutes - 28.3 MBIn this episode we interview Dr. Anurag Singh, nephrologist and Medical Lead for the Northern Health Kidney Care program. Dr. Singh discusses the challenges he and his team face providing a regional kidney-care service across the massive geographical area of Northern BC, and how implementing a new telemedicine service improved care for patients in rural communities. In addition to improving access to care in rural communities, the tele-kidney care project achieved success in increasing the ...
S1 Ep2: All bodies are good bodies; Overcoming weight bias in primary care. How understanding a hidden problem can lead to higher quality care – featuring Dr. Omowumi Iyaoromi
November 25, 2021 20:56 - 16 minutes - 15.3 MBDid you know? · Both self report and experimental research demonstrate negative stereotypes and attitudes towards obese patients by a range of healthcare providers including inaccurate views that obese patients are lazy, lacking in self discipline, dishonest, unintelligent, annoying, and noncompliant with treatment. Hebl and Xu (2001) found that providers spend less time in appointments and provide less health education with obese patients compared with thinner patients. Obese pati...
2: All bodies are good bodies; Overcoming weight bias in primary care. How understanding a hidden problem can lead to higher quality care – featuring Dr. Omowumi Iyaoromi
November 25, 2021 20:56 - 16 minutes - 15.3 MBDid you know? · Both self report and experimental research demonstrate negative stereotypes and attitudes towards obese patients by a range of healthcare providers including inaccurate views that obese patients are lazy, lacking in self discipline, dishonest, unintelligent, annoying, and noncompliant with treatment. Hebl and Xu (2001) found that providers spend less time in appointments and provide less health education with obese patients compared with thinner patients. Obese pati...
S1 Ep1: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Group Medical Visits; leveraging patient education to reduce hospital admissions and emergency room visits
November 03, 2021 18:36 - 23 minutes - 21.4 MBDr. Denise Jaworsky, an internal medicine specialist practicing in Terrace BC, details her experiences helping patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) better understand and manage their condition by implementing an interprofessional team group visit approach in the community. She also shares how an unlucky day on the ski hill led to a career in medicine, discusses the importance of equity to healthcare quality, and reflects on the importance of community.
1: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Group Medical Visits; leveraging patient education to reduce hospital admissions and emergency room visits
November 03, 2021 18:36 - 23 minutes - 21.4 MBDr. Denise Jaworsky, an internal medicine specialist practicing in Terrace BC, details her experiences helping patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) better understand and manage their condition by implementing an interprofessional team group visit approach in the community. She also shares how an unlucky day on the ski hill led to a career in medicine, discusses the importance of equity to healthcare quality, and reflects on the importance of community.