Waiting to Be Seen2020-11-21T11:59:26-05:00

Waiting to Be Seen: Where EM Policy Meets Practice is an EM Cases blog series, authored by Dr. Howard Ovens, a veteran Emergency Department Director, whose main purpose is to share ideas and generate discussion on the role that public policy and administrative practices play in creating the conditions that help front line emergency providers achieve better patient outcomes. You can contact Dr. Ovens at howard.ovens@utoronto.ca and follow him on Twitter at @HowardOvens.

WTBS 26 COVID-19 Pandemic Lessons on Designing a Better Health Care System: What Does it Mean for Emergency Medicine?

Thomas Friedman’s book The World Is Flat is an exploration of how globalization and modern communications technology have changed the world. Our emergency care systems entered the pandemic on decidedly bumpy terrain; can we use technology and innovation to flatten and protect them—to make them more resilient?

WTBS 27 What Emergency Medicine Network Connections and Coverage Look Like in a Resilient Health Care System

When you apply the same principles of a resilient system (integration, adaptation, self-regulation, diversity, and situational awareness) to stabilizing and innovating emergency medicine care networks, this could also have a broad reach and positive effect on improving outcomes for the populations we serve. Reframing service delivery redesign in a resilient systems context opens a wider spectrum of potential solutions and should seed some more creative and yet pragmatic approaches to closing the large FTE gap in emergency medicine. As COVID-19 has demonstrated, we cannot afford not to....

WTBS 25 COVID-19 Pandemic Exposes the Importance of Resilience in Health System Redesign

EM leaders have important voices for speaking on disaster preparation and response in our hospitals, health care systems, and communities. They also have a responsibility to bring their experience and perspectives to the recovery phase and to the redesign of health systems. Having a framework to inform our thinking will ensure our voices are aligned and have the greatest positive impact possible. Dr. David Petrie explores COVID-19 pandemic lessons and offers pointers for redesigning a better health care system...

WTBS 23 Preparing for the Next Viral Wave to Prevent a Tidal One: Co-circulation of Annual Influenza and COVID-19

It remains to be seen whether influenza and COVID-19 will overlap. The actions we take now will determine how well we navigate the coming waves and resulting surges. We’re aiming for something closer to smooth sailing as opposed to capsizing or, worse, sinking. Dr. Kieran Moore and Dr. Howard Ovens explore preparation strategies for co-circulation of seasonal influenza and COVID-19 in this month's Waiting to Be Seen...

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