Qualitycast North

Approximately 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 c...

In 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...

Dr. 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...

The 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...

In 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 l...

Dr. 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...

Growing 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...

Have 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, Ca...

Dr. 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 p...

Dr. 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...

Dr. 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...

Qualitycast 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 chil...

Dr. 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.

Magnetic 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 expe...

Originally 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...

Dr. 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 vi...

Duane 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 descri...

Dr. 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. M...

Prince 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 tackl...

A 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 epis...

In 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 acces...

Did 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...

Dr. 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...