A new online B.C. directory is aimed at helping patients connect with their family doctors.
Pathways, a non-profit organization supported by Doctors of B.C. and the Ministry of Health through the General Practice Services Committee, has created Pathways Medical Care Directory at www.pathwaysmedicalcare.ca
It’s an online resource where people can more easily find information about booking in-person and virtual care visits with their family doctor or nurse practitioner.
Doctors of B.C., formerly known as the B.C. Medical Association, in a news release notes that it knows that during the COVID-19 pandemic some patients are not checking in with their family doctor, and not keeping on top of their medical care, which is a challenge, particularly when they have ongoing chronic conditions that should be monitored.
Often this is because patients either aren’t sure whether their doctor is available or how they should best connect with them in the event they will be receiving care in person or by telephone/telehealth, Doctors of B.C. states.
“It’s very important to continue seeing your family doctor for ongoing care, especially if you have long-term or chronic conditions,” said Dr. Matthew Chow, president of Doctors of B.C. “Neglecting your treatment or missing medication doses will cause more problems down the road. It’s important you see your family doctor because they know you best and understand your medical history and needs.”
For seniors living at home, those with disabilities, or people considering themselves to be at high-risk, it is especially important that they contact their doctor for advice if they have not recently connected, Doctors of B.C. notes.
The new one-stop online directory is to enable patients to find up-to-date information on how their doctor is providing virtual and in-person care, how to go about making an appointment and see other services their doctor may provide.
Doctors of B.C. adds that approximately 70 per cent of B.C. family doctors who provide longitudinal care to their patients are now listed in the directory, with more doctors continuing to be added.
Meanwhile, the Delta Division of Family Practice is continuing its recruitment efforts to bring in more doctors to the area.
Formed eight years ago by physicians in South Delta and Doctors of B.C., it’s a membership organization supporting local physicians.
The Division gives doctors an opportunity to work collaboratively with Fraser Health, the General Practice Services Committee and the Ministry of Health to identify health care needs in the community and develop solutions.
“Especially now, the face of health care has changed with the clinical delivery of care that doctors provide due to COVID-19,” said executive director Geri McGrath in an interview last fall.
“Some of their practices have moved to virtual care, which for a lot of doctors is a first and it’s a first for patients as well. There has been a shift in the way health care is being delivered in this country because of the pandemic and we’re looking for ways to support our physicians and help support the community.”
The doctor’s group has a website called FETCH (For Everything That’s Community Health) that not only helps the public and health care providers access information about community health services in South Delta, it also links patients looking for a doctor with available family physicians.
Patients can sign up to be on a waiting list and are contacted directly by the physicians, however, the doctors’ group has stressed it doesn’t want to raise expectations because it could take months to get a response. There’s thousands of names on the waiting list.
For more information about the Delta Division of Family Practice and its resources, check divisionsbc.ca/delta.
