To conclude Season Two, Sister Monique describes the joys and challenges she's found in establishing primary care in Benin, and brings a "sisterly" contribution to the PFD potluck. She also has a story from her soccer playing days!

If you're interested in learning more:

• Further articles here and here describing Sr. Monique's work and life
• The video of Sr. Monique's "World Cup" soccer match as she describes in the podcast
• Pics of pets de seour (nun's belly buttons) and a bonus recipe if you'd like to try making them!

Family docs must adapt themselves to meet the needs of the communities they serve, and Canadian FP Sister Monique Bourget has demonstrated this abundantly through her globe-spanning career.  In Part One of our final episode for Season Two, she shares her journey to becoming a "Doctor Sister", her role in establishing team-based community clinics and patient-centred maternity care in Sao Paulo.

Dr. Kim Yu broadens the concept of ikigai to apply it to team-based care and health systems - what are the components of effective, purpose-driven health care?  She also brings a family favourite to our PFD potluck!

If you'd like to read more, here are additional resources featuring Dr. Yu:

An AAFP interview with Dr. Yu about Ikigei and the "joy stealers" that take away from the joy of family medicine

A presentation on the role community connections play in fostering joy in the family medicine workplace

A brief AAFP article describing five ways to cultivate resilience in your work

Did you have a reason to get up in this morning?  If you do, you may have ikigai! In Part One, American family doc Dr. Kim Yu explains what ikigai is, shares her own journey of finding it, and provides insights on how it can be cultivated in family physicians during their training and throughout their careers.

In Part Two, Drs. Leon Geffen and Clayton Dyck continue to discuss the future of technology in primary care of the elderly and how AI could inform patient-centred care rather than dictate it.  Dr. Geffen also challenges the perception of the elderly as “technologically challenged.  Finally, he will dig up something from his garden for the PFD potluck dinner!

If you'd like to learn more, you can read two studies about the interRAI Check-Up Self-Report tool here and here.  Dr. Geffen has also provided sample patient reports using the tool that you can access here.

People worldwide are living longer, making it challenging for busy family physicians to provide the best care for elders. In Part One, South African family physician Dr. Leon Geffen joins host Dr. Clayton Dyck to discuss the challenges his country faces with its aging population. He also talks about the use of technology in eldercare and his team's online geriatric assessment tool that helps FPs provide efficient, comprehensive patient care.

Dr. Enrique de Barros and host Dr. Clayton Dyck continue to discuss how a patient-centred approach and “walking the talk” can help motivate our patients to contribute to planetary health.  They also explore the joys and challenges of being a “country doc” who is also an academic family physician.  Additionally, he brings a uniquely Brazilian contribution to the Planet Family Doc potluck!

If you'd like to learn more about what was discussed in this episode:

• An excellent infographic describing the relationship between planetary health and human health
• A video of Dr. de Barros keynote address at WONCA 2023
• A useful Lancet article on the role primary care providers can play in planetary health

We’re now seeing the effects of climate change on our patients on a daily basis.  What can one family doc do?  Can family medicine guru Dr. Ian McWhinney provide with the answer?   In the first part of this episode, Brazilian family physician Dr. Enrique de Barros shares a patient-centered approach that can bring about positive changes not only for our patients but also for our planet.

Dr. Ichsan Ichsan shares more on how the family physicians in Banda Aceh and his community maintained resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. He also highlights how a community's shared belief system can aid in maintaining resilience during difficult times.  Let's see what he'll bring to the Planet Family Doc potluck!

If you'd like to read more:

• The role of religion in fostering community resilience after the 2004 tsunami
• Mental health impacts 10 years after the tsunami
• The resilience of children following the tsunami
• The influence of religion on COVID-19 risk perception in Aceh

An inspiring conversation with Indonesian family physician Dr. Ichsan Ichsan on how Banda Aceh family physicians and their communities found resilience and growth after the 2004 tsunami, and how this sustained them through the COVID-19 pandemic.  In Part One, Dr. Ichsan shares his personal experience of the tsunami, and how health systems and governments responded to rebuild his community.