PM Workshops

Authors: Archna Gupta, Gary Bloch, Meera Mehta, Katherine Rouleau

Description:

There have been increasing efforts to address the SDOH in primary care. While healthcare providers have long recognized that the social circumstances in which people live are the most powerful determinants of health(1), historically, many have felt powerless to mitigate those risks directly (2). Many primary care providers and teams have recently sought to address this situation by developing approaches to addressing the social risks to patients’ health.

In this workshop, we will share the results of two scoping reviews, looking at interventions that address SDOH in high-income countries (HIC) and low and middle-income countries (LMIC).

Findings from HIC highlight interventions that target individual-level determinants (such as identifying social needs, social prescribing and income security), connections with community resources, community-focused partnerships and structures within health teams that affect equity. Findings from LMIC highlight specific interventions or programs, including primary care-linked cash transfer and microfinance programs, and collecting and acting on sociodemographic data at the individual and community levels. They also speak to models of care, including community linkages and engagement, using data to define practice populations and multisectoral action. A key theme across many interventions and models was the role of multidisciplinary teams and community health workers in delivering social interventions. Findings emphasize the innovative and powerful ways primary care practitioners and teams globally are working to address the SDOH in primary care settings.

This workshop aims to bring together primary care providers to discuss what is known about addressing SDOH in primary care in multiple contexts (urban/rural, HIC/LMIC) and where there are gaps in knowledge. Participants can expect to share their experiences while learning from one another and global colleagues.

Presenters: Peter Tzakas, Jeff Golisky, Aurthi Muthukumaranon

Description:

A Physician Assistant (PA) is an integral part of our health care system. PAs extend physician services and work within a collaborative team-based model under the supervision of a licensed physician to improve patient care, wait times, and help promote access to health care services. The scope of practice for a PA is determined by their supervising physician, but may include: patient interviews, physical examinations, communicating diagnoses, ordering diagnostic tests, counselling patients, recommendations for treatment plans, performing procedures, and assisting in surgery. This session aims to discuss the role of a PA, what training they have had, how to incorporate a PA in your family medicine team, the benefits and the day-to-day considerations, and how to navigate the MOH Career Start Program.

Authors: Kathryn Dorman, Jean-Paul Michael, Erin Lurie

Description:

Ontario has experienced an unrelenting surge of opioid-related deaths in recent years, with a 5-fold increase in opioid-related deaths between 2003 and 2020. The highest mortality has been among younger individuals. One quarter of the individuals lost to opioid-poisoning during the pandemic had a healthcare encounter in the 7 days prior to death, suggesting a lost opportunity for support. The drug poisoning crisis is perpetuated by widening inequities and systems of oppression from within which health care operates. Many individuals who use substances have experienced discrimination or trauma within the health care system. Primary care providers can feel powerless in supporting individuals in this circumstance in a strained system, with inadequate social supports, and frequent barriers to care.

Harm reduction philosophies and activities have been utilized within the community for decades to improve safety and empower individuals who use substances. There is now an abundance of evidence-based tools and knowledge, which can be applied within primary care to enhance patient experience, improve safety, produce favorable health outcomes, and bring joy to our work. This workshop will provide a brief foundation of harm reduction principles, explore specific harm reduction interventions that are applicable to primary care, and provide space for questions and discussion.

Authors: Laurie Green, Janet Rodriguez

Description:

The percentage of people with a ‘disability’ (PWD) in Ontario is increasing and, as of 2022, is 28%. This is a population that has significantly lower income, employment rates and higher rates of medical comorbidity. There is good evidence that 1) PWD have unmet health needs and that 2) health systems are better designed and deliver services more effectively when people with lived experiences of disability provide input.

In accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), health care staff and institutions are required provide accessible care to all Ontarians as of January 1, 2025.

We are excited to present the Accessibility for All (AFA) initiative within the St. Michael’s Hospital Academic Family Health Team (SMH FHT, co-led by a staff and patient) to improve accessibility at our 5 sites with the following goals:

 To partner with patients to identify barriers to care within the FHT

 To build capacity (skills and knowledge) required for accessible and inclusive care

 To disseminate this information re: accessible practices and resources within Unity Health and the primary care community to reduce barriers

In this presentation, the co-leads will elaborate on the project steps including planning, patient/community/staff consultation, all staff education, site accessibility surveys and proposed steps for EMR recording of accommodations. Participants will review one tool to evaluate their own site accessibility.

Authors: Dr. Lara Rosenberg and Dr. Eva Knifed

Description:

This workshop will cover the basics of first trimester care in the office. We will review the current standards for nutrition and supplements in pregnancy. We will discuss the management of common ailments in pregnancy (nausea, thyroid abnormalities). We will review the updated practices for first trimester screening tests. We will discuss immunizations in pregnancy. The workshop is intended to be interactive with many opportunities for attendees to ask questions and have a discussion around their practices with respect to first trimester pregnancy management.

Authors: Melissa Graham, Abbas Ghavam-Rassoul, Gurpreet Mand

Description:

There are many meaningful and stimulating career opportunities available to Family Physicians, however many physicians have difficulty navigating a pathway to build the required skills and achieve their goals. Academic Family Physicians require specific competencies to be successful teachers, clinicians, and scholars. There are resources available within the Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto to help faculty develop and grow their competencies and advance their careers. Some of these resources include Courses, Continuing Education programs, Graduate Degrees, Formal Mentorship Programs, and opportunities for promotion.

Despite formal programming, it is not always easy to shape or advance one’s career. Having mentors and advisors can be helpful in this process, however, for some Faculty members, accessing mentors for advice is challenging. This workshop aims to address this gap by describing the many roles and possibilities in academic family medicine and providing a summary of the programs and opportunities available to faculty within the DFCM and U of T. We will also look at pathways for academic promotion and career evolution through the lens of a panel of academic family physicians at different points in their career.

Throughout the workshop we will utilize interactive techniques and guided self-reflection to help participants consider their own career goals and define their next steps. We will describe the tracks for promotion within the Faculty of Medicine and the support available to Faculty to reach their goals.

Please visit the Oral Papers page for more information on the presentations during this session.

Electrocardiogram Curriculum Growth and standardization (ECGs)
Presenters: Jesse McLaren, Dr. Mazen El-Baba

Hybrid Model: Innovative Expansion of Virtual Care Family Medicine Services During COVID-19 Pandemic in Ontario, Canada
Presenters: Kevin Lai

Increasing breast and cervical cancer-related knowledge and health behaviours among Black women through culturally tailored initiatives
Presenters: Camille Williams, Elaine Goulbourne, Elijah Gyansa, Ayan Hashi, Ielaf Khalil, Rumaisa Khan, Patricia Rabel-Jeudy, Ruth Heisey, Aisha Lofters

Offering Hyper-local Community Health and Information Fairs through an Ontario Health Team to provide low-barrier access to care.
Presenters: Cassandra Kwok, Neil Shah

Toronto Western Family Health Team Medication Safety Project
Presenters: Patricia Marr, Noah Crampton, Sarah Reid

Please visit the Oral Papers page for more information on the presentations during this session.

Community organizing for Black health equity in Canada: a multiple-case study analysis.
Presenters: Azza Eissa, Sheena Madzima, Notisha Massaquoi, Onye Nnorum, Dominick Shelton, Roberta Timothy, Andrew D. Pinto

Has Crisis Become the Norm? Serving Refugees at a time of Increasing Migration
Presenters: Meb Rashid, Michelle Westin, Angela Robertson, Cheryl Prescod

Naming Disinclusion: The absence of marginalized populations in health research  
Presenters: Aaron Orkin

Navigating Primary Health Care in Ontario: A Qualitative Study Investigating the Perceptions of Chinese Newcomers to Canada
Presenters: Stephen Marisette, Joanne Permaul, Zhiheng Zeng, Junyi Mei, Donatus Mutasingwa, Melanie Henry, Andrea Groff, Kathleen Homiak

Pragmatic Trial of BETTER Women: A Peer Health Coaching Program in Primary Care
Presenters: Aisha Lofters, Aranee Senthilmurugan, Anjana Rao

Authors: Monique Moller

Description:

Trauma can cause disconnection from oneself and nature, leading to physical and mental illness. One common consequence of this disconnection is substance use disorders. Psychedelic-assisted therapies show promise in helping individuals process trauma and rediscover and reestablish this connection. By drawing on indigenous practices, decades of research, and modern psychotherapeutic techniques, this treatment has the potential to be a groundbreaking approach for psychiatry and addiction medicine. In this session, we will explore the intersection of history, science, ethics, and culture of psychedelic therapy and its potential to transform the path of healing for your patients. Join us to learn more about this exciting area of research.

Authors: Meseret Zerihun, Baraa Alghalyini, Thuy-Nga Pham, Jamie Rodas, Hathaitip Tumviriyakul, Orawan Tawaytibhongs, Praseedha Janakiram

Description:

Advancing primary care and family medicine globally requires leadership and advocacy at many levels within a healthcare system. The Department of Family and Community Medicine (DFCM) at the University of Toronto and its international collaborators have played an important role in advancing leadership curricula at the undergraduate, postgraduate and faculty level. In 2023, we successfully launched an inaugural online leadership course for women emerging into family medicine leadership roles called AWE_FM. Designed to target an integrated global to local participation, 15 participants from 7 countries developed critical skills to support their leadership journey as they advance the discipline of family medicine, while working together to address the challenges unique to emerging women leaders. In this DFCM workshop we will share highlights of our innovative teaching portal and key skills that resonated with our audience. We will discuss, the opportunity we see to teach family physician colleagues in a creative asynchronous/synchronous hybrid model across different time zones using the online portal “Rise”. Together, we will reflect on our experience as facilitators and co-creators of this work and discuss with workshop participants the value and need for this program to inform the iterative evolution of this offering.