Wednesday, January 18, 2023 at 07:55 AM

Family doctors routinely treat patients with disabilities, but the medical profession often stigmatizes physicians living with disabilities themselves. Connect with your fellow family doctors to learn tips and strategies to adapt your practice and create an environment where everyone can thrive. Learn practical tips for how to navigate taking time off and discover where physicians or patients with disabilities can go for support.

Panelists:

• Dr. Jennifer Hulme (Toronto, ON)
• Dr. Samantha Lavitt (Ottawa, ON)
• Dr. Shailla Vaidya (Toronto, ON)

Download the resources:

• Practising Well CoP - January 18 Resources
• Session Slides

Increased patient expectations and an overwhelming workload are two factors that have contributed to the heightened burnout rate in family medicine.  Join your fellow physicians to discuss how self-compassion and setting boundaries can help you take better care of yourself, your peers and your patients.

Panelists:

• Dr. Patricia Rockman (Toronto, ON)
• Dr. Sue Shepherd (Port Perry, ON)
• Dr. Shira Taylor (Toronto, ON)

Download the resources:

• Practising Well Community of Practice - December 14 Resources (PDF)
• Session Slides (PDF)

Do you want to learn more about the differences between nociceptive and neuropathic pain? Listen in as we breakdown the two and identify warning signs to look out for in a pain condition. We'll discuss treatment options with your fellow family doctors and learn how self-management, mindfulness and meditation can take a patient from a life of pain to one of possibility.

Panelists:

• Dr. Amy Alexander (Toronto, ON)
• Dr. Gregory Hariton (Burlington, ON)
• Dr. Caroline Kargel (Barrie, ON)

Download the resources:

• Practising Well CoP - November 23 Resources(PDF)
• Session Slides  (PDF)

This session originally took place on Wednesday, November 23, 2022. Watch the video recording (Vimeo link)

Assessing a child with a potential mental health issue can be a complex process. Overlapping conditions and misinformation can complicate diagnosis and treatment. There are screening tools that can help. Join your fellow family doctors to discuss strategies and resources to support you in identifying children’s mental health needs, services and educational materials.

Panelists:

• Dr. Deema Abdul Hadi (Mississauga, ON)
• Dr. David Brault
• Dr. Sara Cohen-Gelfand (Toronto, ON)

Download the resources:

• Practising Well CoP - October 26 Resources (PDF)
• Mental Health Resource Sheet (PDF)
• Session Slides (PDF)

This session originally took place on Wednesday, October 26, 2022. Watch the video recording.

Family doctors are often the first medical professional that patients turn to when seeking help for a substance use disorder. But there is rarely enough time in a single appointment to provide in-depth counselling. Join in a discussion with your fellow physicians about how family doctors can use motivational interviewing to support patients during short clinical visits.

Panelists:

• Dr. Melissa Holowaty (Peterborough)
• Dr. Kimberly Lazare (Toronto)
• Dr. Stephanie Zhou (Toronto)

Download the resources:

• Practising Well CoP - September 28 Resources (PDF)
• Session Slides (PDF)

This session originally took place on Wednesday, September 28, 2022. Watch the video recording.

Low back pain is one of the most common reasons that patients visit their doctor. Yet without effective intervention it can become a chronic condition. Join your fellow physicians to discuss approaches to treatment and share your own experiences helping patients with low back pain. 

Panelists:

• Dr. Paul Hoogeveen (Barrie)
• Dr. Jennifer Young (Collingwood)
• Dr. Sheri Wark (Thunder Bay)

Download the resources:

• Practising Well CoP - August 24 Resources
• Session Slides

This session originally took place on Wednesday, August 24, 2022. Watch the video recording.

The ongoing opioid crisis has only gotten worse during the pandemic. Join your fellow family doctors to discuss strategies for managing opioid use by patients, unique issues facing practitioners, and hear about alternatives to regularly prescribed opioids.

Panelists:

• Lisa Bromley (Ottawa)
• Kate Lazier (Toronto)
• Joel Voth (Toronto)

Accompanying resources are available on the Community of Practice session page.

This session originally took place on Wednesday, July 27, 2022.

We discuss the latest on COVID including case counts, variants and vaccines. We also re-review IPAC advice given changing context, and we provide an update on Monkeypox in Ontario, including potential new guidance on testing. 

Panelists:

• Dr. Allison McGeer, Microbiologist, Infectious Disease Consultant, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, ON
• Dr. Darrell Tan, Infectious Diseases Physician, Clinician Scientist, St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, ON

Co-host:

• Dr. David Kaplan, Family Physician, North York Family Health Team and Vice President, Quality, Ontario Health, Toronto, ON 

Moderator:

• Dr. Tara Kiran, Fidani Chair of Improvement and Innovation, University of Toronto and Family Physician, St. Michael’s Academic Family Health Team, Toronto, ON

This is a recording of the 46th session in our "Changing the way we work" series which took place on Friday, June 24, 2022.

Accompanying resources are available on the Community of Practice session page.

Coping with undesired change and loss can be difficult. Join your colleagues to consider and discuss strategies for recognizing and responding to grief and loss, and to learn about support for yourself and your patients.

Panelists:

• Dr. Robin Beardsley (Kanata)
• Dr. Ramona Joshi (Toronto)
• Dr. Chase McMurren (Toronto)

Accompanying resources are available on the Community of Practice session page.

This session originally took place on Wednesday, June 22, 2022.

Learn about different anxiety disorders and hear from your colleagues about approaches to caring for patients dealing with anxiety.

Panelists:

• Dr. Jon Davine (Hamilton)
• Dr. Rachel Shour (Toronto)
• Dr. Karen Trollope-Kumar (Hamilton)

Accompanying resources are available on the Community of Practice session page.

This session originally took place on Wednesday, May 25, 2022.