January 12, 2023

In this issue

• Five reasons to sign up for CII/CPAR

• Optimized Prescribing with Seniors

• The ASaP maneuvers menu has been updated

• Help us rebuild the AMA website

• RF delegate election results

• Congratulations! 12 days of no privacy incidents

• Opioid Process Improvements Training now available!

• AMA seeks 2023 nominations for our highest awards

• Investing as a physician: A primer

• Community Connections (formerly known as Survey Corner)

  • Accessibility of CT: Survey to Identify Underserved Populations in Rural Alberta

Five reasons to sign up for CII/CPAR

Dr. Christina Dolhaniuk encourages all community-based physicians to sign up to have their consult reports and plan of care uploaded to Alberta Netcare. Providers can see the most up-to-date and clear information about her patient’s treatment plans on Alberta Netcare. It also reduces the number of duplicate referrals. Watch Dr. Dohaniuk’s five reasons to sign up for CII/CPAR.

Optimized Prescribing with Seniors: Focus on Parkinson's disease - Part 1

Case

Amanda is 72 with an eight-year history of Parkinson’s disease. Her past medical history includes hypertension, anxiety and type 2 diabetes mellitus. She presents to you with recent falls. Her husband reports she has had a weight loss of 10 pounds over six months with poor appetite. She yells and moves in her sleep almost nightly.

Issue

What are any potential prescribing issues, including adverse effects, drug-disease interactions and/or prescribing omissions which may be relevant in this case?

The ASaP maneuvers menu has been updated

The Alberta Screening and Prevention (ASaP) maneuvers menu has been updated to reflect emerging evidence and/or improvements in screening, while continuing to balance impact and practicality in primary care settings. Supporting tools have also been reviewed and updates will be uploaded to the ASaP web page as they become available. 

What has changed?

• The recommended age for biennial mammography for average-risk women has been lowered to 45 from 50.
• Simplified wording and ensured LGBTQ2S+ inclusive language.
• Evidence-based practice points have been updated to include current tools and advice.

Why the change to mammography?

The new Alberta breast cancer screening guideline recommends starting screening at 45 (previously 50). The ASaP menu has been updated to align with this change.

Help us rebuild AMA website!

We’re rebuilding the AMA website with a focus on creating an intuitive, valuable resource for members and we’d love to get your feedback.

Previously we surveyed you on our proposed website content structure. Now we'd love your feedback on some new layout ideas by completing this brief website survey. 

The survey should take less than 10-15 minutes. As a thank you for your time, you'll be given an option at the end to enter a draw to win one of two $25 Apple gift cards.

The survey closes end of day, Monday, January 16.

RF delegate election results

Election results: Meet your new zonal/regional RF delegates
 
On December 14 we tallied ballots for the election of zonal/regional delegates to the AMA’s Representative Forum. Delegates were elected to Regions 1, 4, 5 and in Calgary and Edmonton Zones.

• View the election results
• See a complete list of RF delegates

Member login required.

Congratulations! 12 days of no privacy incidents

Make 2023 the year of privacy! Did ‘Have no privacy incidents’ make it onto your new year’s goals? Add completing AMA’s free online privacy training as one of your clinic’s 2023 priorities. 

Opioid Process Improvements Training now available!

The Accelerating Change Transformation Team’s Opioid Process Improvements training is now available to take online through Learn@AMA.

This training is targeted to primary care physicians, clinical team members and practice facilitators.

This one-credit-per-hour assessment program has been certified by the College of Family Physicians of Canada and the Alberta Chapter for up to 4.0 Mainpro+® credits.

AMA seeks 2023 nominations for our highest awards

The Alberta Medical Association is calling for Achievement Award nominations for individuals who have contributed to the improvement of the quality of health care in Alberta.

The Medal for Distinguished Service is given to a physician(s) who has made an outstanding personal contribution to medicine and to the people of Alberta, and in the process has contributed to the art and science of medicine while raising the standards of medical practice.

The Medal of Honour is awarded to a non-physician(s) who has raised the standards of health care and contributed to the advancement of medical research, medical education, health care organization, health education and/or health promotion to the public.

Nominations must be submitted by April 30. The awards will be presented at the AMA’s fall 2023 annual general meeting.

To request a nomination form for these awards, please contact Debbie Kuss, Administrative Assistant, Public Affairs, debbie.kuss@albertadoctors.org, 780-453-3782, toll-free at 1-800-272-9680, ext. 3782 or visit the AMA website.

In 2022, two physicians were recognized with Medals for Distinguished Service:

• Dr. James Kelner, Calgary
• Dr. Christopher Wilkes, Calgary

To read more about the 2022 honorees visit the AMA website.

Investing as a physician: A primer

Sponsored advertisement

Physicians have unique needs when it comes to investing. Where to begin? Here’s a look the basics of investing from a physician’s perspective.

Community Connections

This month, the following is available for your consideration:

Accessibility of CT: Survey to Identify Underserved Populations in Rural Alberta
 
Physicians who practice emergency medicine in rural communities are invited to participate in a study titled “Accessibility of CT: Survey to Identify Underserved Populations in Rural Alberta”. The purpose of this unfunded graduate project is to identify gaps in surgical care resulting from variable access to computed tomography (CT) in rural areas. Responses will help the study team to identify facilities where the demand for CT exceeds existing service levels, understand how this affects emergency departments, and the perceived impact on patient outcomes. This study has received approval from the University of Calgary Conjoint Health Research Ethics Board (REB22-0275) and the University of Alberta Health Research Ethics Board (Pro00122198).
 
Learn more or go directly to the survey.

Promoting a local charitable health-related event?
Recruiting physicians and medical learners for a medical study?
Seeking AMA member participation in a survey?

The AMA receives many requests to promote local events, research participation opportunities and surveys to our members. We consider all requests based on specific criteria and general relevance/appropriateness. Please note that, unless explicitly stated, the AMA is not associated with or responsible for items listed in Community Connections.

Social media training

The AMA is offering its members training in social media:
 

Social Media 101

January 25, 2023
5:30-6:30 p.m.

Social Media 201

February 8, 2023

5:30-6:30 p.m.

Media Relations 101

March 16, 2023

5:30-6:30 p.m.

Media Relations 201

February 15, 2023

1-4 p.m.
 

View all upcoming events on the AMA website.

Have an event you'd like to promote?

Review our criteria and submit your event.

Recognition Roundup

Below are special dates deserving recognition:

January:

Alzheimer's Awareness Month

January 25: Bell Let's Talk Day

Recommend a special date.

Last issue's top stories

- WCB: Supporting injured workers: What information can employers request?

- ACFP: Big Bucks, Better Billing

In the January 12
MD Scope Classifieds
you'll find listings for:
 

- Physicians wanted

- Locums wanted

- For sale
- Services

More from the AMA

© 2023 Alberta Medical Association; All rights reserved
 

The opinions expressed in AMA publications are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or positions of the Alberta Medical Association, its Board of Directors or members.
 

The Alberta Medical Association does not assume responsibility or liability for damages arising from any error or omission or from the use of any information or advice contained in these materials. Advertisements included in our publications are not necessarily endorsed by the Alberta Medical Association.
 

The Association reserves the right to edit any submissions that are accepted to appear in any of our publications or platforms. Please consult our editorial guidelines for tips on submissions or advertising.
 

Our mailing address is:
12230 106 Ave NW
Edmonton AB T5N 3Z1
Canada

Canada Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) - AMA compliance statement