Measuring and Managing Healthcare Supply and Demand in Real-Time.

Measuring the supply and demand for access to and wait-times for healthcare is key to managing healthcare services and allocating resources appropriately. Yet, few jurisdictions in distributed, socialized medicine settings have any way to do so. In this paper, we propose the requirements for a jurisdictional patient scheduling system that can measure key metrics, such as supply of and demand for regulated health care professional care, access to and wait times for care, real-time health system utilization and provide the data to compute patient journeys. The system is also capable of tracking new supply of providers and who does not have access to a primary care provider. Benefits, limitations and risks of the model are discussed.

Towards a Regulatory Framework for Workflow Improvement in Electronic Medical Records.

Physicians have to complete several time-consuming and burnout-inducing tasks in their EMRs for everyday care of patients. Poor workflow design generates increased effort for physicians. In this study, we measure time doctors take to retrieve and review information in the patient chart at the beginning of a visit; one of approximately 12 tasks a doctor must do in the EMR during the visit. Information retrieval takes approximately 40 minutes per day. Automation could save 75% of that time. We estimate that if every family doctor in Canada could save 30 minutes through automation of just this one process, we could free up time equivalent to >3000 physicians and >5 million patients; enough to absorb the vast majority of patients who currently do not have a doctor. We know of no more powerful intervention than workflow automation in Canadian EMRs to increase the supply of doctors while simultaneously reducing a major cause of burnout. We recommend an accelerated research program to identify additional opportunities for workflow automation and a regulatory program to ensure that every physician has access to workflow automation in their EMR.

Towards a Regulatory Framework for Electronic Medical Record Interoperability in Canada.

All complex systems are potentially predisposed to failure. Healthcare systems are complex systems that are prone to many errors that can result in dire consequences for patients and healthcare providers. The healthcare system in Canada is under unprecedented strain due to shortages of healthcare providers, provider burnout, inefficient workflows, and a lack of appropriate digital infrastructure. We used failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) to identify the failure modes for care provided in primary care settings. We identified failure modes in appointment scheduling, patient-provider communications, referrals, laboratory and diagnostic procedures, and medication prescriptions as the main failure modes. To mitigate the detected risks, we recommend solutions to 'close the loop' on failure modes to prevent patients from falling through the cracks, as vulnerable patients who cannot advocate for themselves are most likely to do so. We provide preliminary requirements for a regulatory regime for electronic health records that can reduce provider burnout, improve regulatory compliance, and improve system efficiency, all while improving patient safety, experience, and outcomes.

Immune Thrombocytopenia: A Rare Adverse Event of Vancomycin Therapy.

Vancomycin, a glycopeptide antibiotic, is widely used for Gram-positive cocci or bacilli bacteria-induced serious infections. Although considered safe and effective, it still causes adverse events. Vancomycin-induced immune thrombocytopenia is a rarely reported adverse event, manifesting from asymptomatic thrombocytopenia to life-threatening bleeding. We underline a case of a 56-year-old male with a diabetic foot with an infected exudating purulent ulcer. He experienced a significant drop in platelet count after commencing vancomycin, and discontinuing vancomycin resulted in improved platelet count with positive vancomycin-induced anti-platelet antibodies. After ruling out other possible causes of thrombocytopenia, a presumptive diagnosis of vancomycin-induced thrombocytopenia was made.

Small Bowel Lymphoma Complicated With Ischemic Colitis: A Case Report.

Ischemic colitis is thought to be an injury to the colon as a result of reduced blood flow. Certain infectious diseases such as the Epstein-Barr virus can aid in the reduction of blood flow. The insult can range from inflammation and superficial injury to full-thickness necrosis. The typical regions affected are the "watershed" areas of the colon: the splenic flexure, the rectosigmoid junction, and the right colon. Because patients can present with a wide spectrum of symptoms from vague abdominal discomfort to complete abdominal catastrophe, the diagnosis of ischemic colitis is sometimes challenging to make. Patients typically present with the acute onset of crampy abdominal pain and usually pass blood mixed with stool within 24 hours. Endoscopically, ischemia is suspected in the presence of bluish hemorrhagic nodules from submucosal bleeding, cyanotic or necrotic mucosa with bleeding ulcerations, or a segmental distribution with an abrupt transition point between injured and normal mucosa. We present a case of an 80-year-old male with a history of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and basal cell carcinoma of the scalp diagnosed with ischemic colitis associated with positive Epstein-Barr virus B cell lymphoma.

Gastric adenocarcinoma complicated by an intra-abdominal abscess: A case report.

Perforated gastric adenocarcinoma is a rare and challenging complication of gastric cancer, which can lead to intra-abdominal abscesses and other complications. Management of perforated gastric adenocarcinoma with an intra-abdominal abscess requires a multidisciplinary approach, including empiric antibiotic therapy and fluid resuscitation, partial gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y reconstruction, and image-guided drainage. This case report highlights the complex and challenging nature of managing perforated gastric adenocarcinoma with intra-abdominal abscesses. Prompt recognition and timely intervention are essential for favorable outcomes. Postoperative care and close follow-up are also important.