Opportunities to improve asthma and COPD prevention and care: insights from the patient journey obtained through focus groups.

Background: The healthcare experiences of patients hold valuable insights for improving the quality of services related to their well-being. We therefore invited and explored the perspectives of patients living with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) on their interaction with the systems supporting health, in order to identify opportunities to improve services to prevent, treat and manage these conditions.

Methods: Two virtual focus groups were held in August 2021, one for adult asthma and one for COPD, to learn of patients' experiences receiving care for these conditions in the Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) region of British Columbia.

Disparities in self-reported healthcare access for airways disease in British Columbia, Canada, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Insights from a survey co-developed with people living with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Patients' perspectives on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their access to asthma and COPD healthcare could inform better, more equitable care delivery. We demonstrate this topic using British Columbia (BC), Canada, where the impact of the pandemic has not been described. We co-designed a cross-sectional survey with patient partners and administered it to a convenience sample of people living with asthma and COPD in BC between September 2020 and March 2021.

Advancing virtual primary care for people with opioid use disorder (VPC OUD): a mixed-methods study protocol.

Introduction: The emergence of COVID-19 introduced a dual public health emergency in British Columbia, which was already in the fourth year of its opioid-related overdose crisis. The public health response to COVID-19 must explicitly consider the unique needs of, and impacts on, communities experiencing marginalisation including people with opioid use disorder (PWOUD). The broad move to virtual forms of primary care, for example, may result in changes to healthcare access, delivery of opioid agonist therapies or fluctuations in co-occurring health problems that are prevalent in this population.

Family physician perspectives on primary care reform priorities: a cross-sectional survey.

Background: The province of British Columbia is facing a family physician shortage despite consistent increases in the number of physicians per capita and ongoing reforms to address the shortage. We identify physicians' priorities for structural reform, describe the alignment of those priorities with BC's suite of reforms and compare responses between established physicians and those new to practice; we also assessed rates of burnout.

Methods: All family physicians credentialed within Vancouver Coastal Health in 2018 were invited to participate in a cross-sectional survey.

Modern work patterns of "classic" versus millennial family doctors and their effect on workforce planning for community-based primary care: a cross-sectional survey.

Background: There are ongoing accessibility challenges in primary care in British Columbia, Canada, with 17% of the population not having a regular source of care. Anecdotal evidence suggests that physicians are moving away from a community-based comprehensive practice model, which could contribute to shortages. Thus, we aimed to identify and describe how family physicians are currently organizing their primary care practices in a large health region in British Columbia and to examine differences between newer graduates and more established physicians.

Low-acuity presentations to the emergency department: Reasons for and access to other health care providers before presentation.

Objective: To describe the demographic characteristics of patients who present to the emergency department (ED) for low-acuity issues and to explore their self-reported contact with other sources of primary health care before presenting to the ED.

Design: Survey distributed in the ED waiting room.

Setting: A high-volume ED in Vancouver, BC.

Clinical Decision Support Decreases Volume of Imaging for Low Back Pain in an Urban Emergency Department.

Purpose: To determine whether point-of-care clinical decision support can effectively reduce inappropriate medical imaging of patients who present to the emergency department (ED) with low-back pain (LBP).

Materials And Methods: This was a prospective, single-center study of lumbar imaging referrals made by 43 emergency physicians at a major acute care center. Each physician saw at least 10 LBP cases in both pre- and post-intervention periods.