Dr. Alecs Chochinov and Dr. Davie Petrie, two leaders in emergency medicine, discuss the future of EM in 5 spheres: coordinated mission, optimizing access points, accountability, disaster preparedness, and adaptation/evolution. They explore topics like EMS system improvement, preventing provider burnout, integrating systems thinking in EDs for better patient flow, and utilizing virtual care. The podcast also emphasizes the importance of compassion, access to healthcare, and health system science in EM
Read more
AI Summary
AI Chapters
Episode notes
auto_awesome
Podcast summary created with Snipd AI
Quick takeaways
A systems-level approach is crucial for addressing overcrowding in emergency medicine, focusing on coordinated missions, optimizing access points, accountability, disaster preparedness, and adaptation/evolution.
Breaking down the silos between different healthcare groups is essential for achieving a shared purpose and improving the state of emergency medicine.
Implementing accountability standards, embedding them in hospital accreditation, and defining emergency medicine's role are crucial for a functioning system.
Lessons from disaster management can be applied to everyday emergency medicine to improve patient outcomes, and adapting and evolving emergency medicine is crucial for navigating future challenges.
Deep dives
The Impact of Healthcare System Failures on Emergency Departments
Overwhelmed healthcare systems are leading to packed waiting rooms, treatment delays, provider burnout, and other negative effects on emergency departments globally. With the decline of primary care, patients with complex comorbidities are increasingly presenting to EDs. Overcrowding has been a longstanding issue, and while solutions have been discussed in the past, it is essential to revisit the problem in light of recent developments like the COVID-19 pandemic. A systems-level approach that focuses on the entire healthcare system, including integrated networks and multiple access points, is crucial for addressing overcrowding in emergency medicine.
The Need for Coordinated Mission and Breaking Down Silos
Emergency medicine requires a coordinated mission and common principles across the healthcare system. Breaking down the silos between different healthcare groups is essential for achieving a shared purpose and improving the state of emergency medicine. Interdisciplinary collaboration, understanding the system as a whole, and advocating for a better system are key in managing intergroup relations. Access to primary care needs improvement, requiring regionally-rostered multidisciplinary healthcare homes, same-day or next-day access, and addressing the relativity gap between specialists, sub-specialists, and generalists.
Accountability, Quality of Care, and Setting Standards
Accountability is vital for a functioning emergency medicine system, and every specialty, hospital floor, and medical program must be accountable for the overall healthcare system. Accountability should focus on providing optimal care and outcomes while ensuring value for money and health equity. Implementing standards of care, embedding them in hospital accreditation, and valuing quality are crucial for maintaining a high level of care. Additionally, it is crucial to define emergency medicine's role and set clear boundaries to avoid overburdening emergency departments with non-urgent cases.
Disaster Preparedness and Lessons for Everyday Emergency Medicine
Disaster preparedness is a proxy for general system preparedness, and emergency departments face ongoing chronic disasters due to overwhelming demand relative to available resources. Lessons from disaster management, such as surge planning, practicing and testing surge plans, and maintaining redundancy in the system, can be applied to everyday emergency medicine to improve patient outcomes and decrease preventable deaths. Additionally, integrating disaster medicine principles into emergency departments enhances the overall readiness and resilience of the healthcare system.
Adaptation, Evolution, and Shaping the Future of Emergency Medicine
Adapting and evolving emergency medicine is crucial for navigating future challenges. This includes addressing issues like climate change, pursuing justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) initiatives, enhancing leadership roles in digital health, establishing robust research networks, and incorporating health policy and advocacy into emergency medicine training curriculum. Embracing a learning health system model, collaborating in research networks, and focusing on broader research areas that align with the needs of patients and population health are key factors in shaping the future of emergency medicine.
Optimizing Access Points in Emergency Care System
Optimizing access points in the emergency care system involves coordinating and optimizing the number, distribution, capabilities, connections, and workforce of emergency departments. Different factors, such as population, population-weighted distances, and the need for an integrated team, need to be considered. By understanding the size of the system and its specific needs, emergency departments can be staffed and supported accordingly, ensuring effective emergency care and patient management.
The Use of Virtual Care in Emergency Medicine
Virtual care offers opportunities to improve emergency department care by facilitating triaging, remote wound assessment, and consultation between primary care and specialists. Virtual care can help reduce unnecessary visits to emergency departments, provide timely access to appropriate care, and enhance patient outcomes. However, the implementation of virtual care should consider equity of access and ensure that the right patients receive the right care. It is crucial to measure, evaluate, and study virtual care initiatives to ensure they align with the overall goals of a comprehensive and patient-centered emergency care system.
In order fix EM, each of us needs to understand systems issues and systems thinking, and advocate for a better system based on sound systems principles and specific solutions. In this main episode EM Cases podcast Anton is joined by Dr. Alecs Chochinov and Dr. Davie Petrie, two systems thinkers and leaders in EM. They discuss solutions for how to fix EM in 5 spheres: having a coordinated mission, optimizing access points, accountability, disaster preparedness and adaptation/evolution. They answer questions such as: What can we glean from how EM has evolved in the last few decades to help shape the future? How can we utilize virtual care to make it work for us and our patients well? How can we improve our EMS systems? How can we change the system to prevent emergency provider burnout? How can we integrate systems thinking into the daily operations of EDs to improve patient flow and outcomes? and many more...
-Support EM Cases with a Donation https://emergencymedicinecases.com/donation/
Get the Snipd podcast app
Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode
Save any moment
Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways
Share & Export
Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode
