To understand the current landscape of artificial intelligence (AI) for family medicine (FM) research in Canada, identify how the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) could support near-term positive progress in this field, and strengthen the community working in this field.
Members of a scientific planning committee provided guidance alongside members of a CFPC staff advisory committee, led by the CFPC-AMS TechForward Fellow and including CFPC, FM, and AI leaders.
This initiative included 2 projects. First, an environmental scan of published and gray literature on AI for FM produced between 2018 and 2022 was completed. Second, an invitational round table held in April 2022 brought together AI and FM experts and leaders to discuss priorities and to create a strategy for the future.
The environmental scan identified research related to 5 major domains of application in FM (preventive care and risk profiling, physician decision support, operational efficiencies, patient self-management, and population health). Although there had been little testing or evaluation of AI-based tools in practice settings, progress since previous reviews has been made in engaging stakeholders to identify key considerations about AI for FM and opportunities in the field. The round-table discussions further emphasized barriers to and facilitators of high-quality research; they also indicated that while there is immense potential for AI to benefit FM practice, the current research trajectory needs to change, and greater support is needed to achieve these expected benefits and to avoid harm.
Ten candidate action items that the CFPC could adopt to support near-term positive progress in the field were identified, some of which an AI working group has begun pursuing. Candidate action items are roughly divided into avenues where the CFPC is well-suited to take a leadership role in tackling priority issues in AI for FM research and specific activities or initiatives the CFPC could complete. Strong FM leadership is needed to advance AI research that will contribute to positive transformation in FM.
An 8-month-old boy presented to our clinic with a 3-day history of fever. He has had a cough and rhinorrhea since the onset of the fever, and his 4-year-old sibling has recently had cough and cold symptoms. I have heard that the presence of respiratory symptoms means that urinary tract infection (UTI) is less likely. In infants with fever and respiratory symptoms, who should have a sample collected for urinalysis for UTI?
The approach to diagnosing febrile infants who have respiratory symptoms varies by age. Urinalysis should be done for all febrile infants younger than 2 months of age, regardless of whether they have respiratory symptoms. Clinicians should assess risk factors for UTI in every infant between 2 and 24 months of age and should not exclude the diagnosis of UTI based on respiratory symptoms alone. Use of a predictive tool to estimate the pretest probability of UTI would aid decision making about patients in this population.
To estimate the prevalence of dyslipidemia and to describe its management in Canadian primary care.
Retrospective cohort study using primary care electronic medical record data.
Canada.
Adults aged 40 years or older who saw a Canadian Primary Care Sentinel Surveillance Network contributor between January 1, 2018, and December 31, 2019.
Presence or absence of dyslipidemia as identified by a validated case definition and the treatment status of patients identified as having dyslipidemia based on having been prescribed a lipid-lowering agent (LLA).
In total, 50.0% of the 773,081 patients 40 years of age or older who had had a primary care visit in 2018 or 2019 were identified as having dyslipidemia. Dyslipidemia was more prevalent in patients 65 or older (61.5%), in males (56.7%) versus females (44.7%), and in those living in urban areas (50.0%) versus rural areas (45.2%). In patients with documented dyslipidemia, 42.8% had evidence of treatment with an LLA. Stratifying patients by Framingham risk score revealed that those in the high-risk category were more likely to have been prescribed an LLA (65.0%) compared with those in the intermediate-risk group (48.7%) or the low-risk group (22.8%). The strongest determinants of receiving LLA treatment for dyslipidemia include sex, with males being 1.95 times more likely to have been treated compared with females (95% CI 1.91 to 1.98; P<.0001); and body mass index, with those with obesity having a significantly increased likelihood of being treated with an LLA (adjusted odds ratio of 1.36, 95% CI 1.32 to 1.41; P<.0001).
This study provides an updated look at the prevalence and treatment of dyslipidemia among Canadians. Half of patients aged 40 years or older have dyslipidemia, with an even higher prevalence observed among adults aged 65 years or older, males, and those with obesity or other chronic conditions. There are still gaps in treatment among those with documented dyslipidemia, principally among those calculated to have high or intermediate Framingham risk scores. Particular attention should also be paid to those at higher risk for not receiving treatment, including female patients and those within normal body mass index ranges.
To outline an approach to the assessment and initial management of patients with burns in the rural emergency department setting. Three mnemonics are presented that can be used for both the assessment and the initial management of patients with burns in rural settings.
Current and local guidelines compiled by a plastic surgeon were reviewed to develop a systematic approach to the treatment of patients with burns. PubMed and other databases were also searched for current literature on emergency care of patients with burns.
Burn injuries are a common reason for presentation to the emergency department. However, the care of patients with these injuries can vary substantially depending on geographic location, provider training, and hospital resources. Classification of burns, fluid resuscitation guidelines, dressings and wound care, indications for referral, and pain management are discussed.
Using a systematic approach may help improve burn injury outcomes for patients and provide practitioners with a step-by-step framework for the management of patients with burns in rural settings.
To determine the scale and scope of use of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in rural British Columbia (BC).
Online survey.
Rural BC.
Physicians practising in rural BC communities.
Practitioner demographic and practice characteristics, locations and frequency of POCUS use, POCUS education and training, and practitioner attitudes about and barriers to POCUS use.
Two hundred twenty-seven surveys were completed in fall 2021, corresponding to a response rate of 11.9% of all rural practitioners in BC. A total of 52.1% of respondents worked in communities with less than 10,000 people, while 24.9% had practices with relatively large proportions of Indigenous patients (more than 20% of the practice population). Respondents reported ease of access to local POCUS devices, with use highest in emergency departments (87.2%) followed by ambulatory care clinic (54.7%) and inpatient (50.3%) settings. Use of POCUS influenced clinical decision making in half the occasions in which it was employed, including a range of diagnostic and procedural applications. Barriers to use included lack of training, limited time to perform POCUS scans, and absence of image review or consultative support. Needed support for POCUS identified by respondents included real-time image acquisition advice and funding for both device acquisition and training. Recommendations for including POCUS training in undergraduate and residency education were strongly supported.
Use of POCUS in BC is expanding in frequency, scope, and scale in practices serving rural areas and in rural communities with large Indigenous populations, with practitioners reporting important improvements in clinical care as a result. Future research could help improve systemic support for POCUS use, guide needed curriculum changes in medical school and postgraduate training, and be used to inform continuing professional development needs.
To understand experiences of recovery from opioid use among First Nations individuals living in a small remote community.
Qualitative phenomenologic study.
Northwestern Ontario.
Sixteen First Nations individuals living in a remote community who had participated in or completed the community opioid agonist therapy program.
Extensive community consultation took place to ensure local acceptance of the study and permission for publication. Semistructured telephone interviews with consenting participants were audiorecorded between November and December 2021 and transcribed. Transcripts were reviewed and discussed in meetings with Indigenous and non-Indigenous research team members who conducted thematic analysis using immersion and crystallization.
Participants described their opioid use as a form of self-management of trauma. Their recovery processes were multifaceted and included developing cultural and self-awareness. Motivation for change often arose from concerns about family well-being and finances. Traditional cultural practices and time spent on the land were identified as important wellness experiences. Barriers to healing included limited clinical and holistic addiction services, particularly around dose weaning and opioid agonist therapy discontinuation.
Community-based addiction programming for First Nations patients needs to be robust. It requires resources for trauma-informed clinical and addiction care, culturally appropriate addictions education, aftercare support, and land-based activities.
Élaborer une approche pour déterminer, investiguer et initialement prendre en charge les causes courantes de la douleur chronique au poignet que voient les professionnels des soins primaires.
Les données probantes et la littérature scientifique pertinentes ont été recensées à l’aide de la base de données PubMed.
Les consultations pour une douleur chronique au poignet sont fréquentes en soins primaires. L’anatomie complexe du poignet est propice à la multiplicité des diagnostics différentiels. Les éléments de l’anamnèse, les constatations aux examens physiques et aux investigations, et la prise en charge qui sont applicables aux pathologies suivantes sont présentés : pseudarthrose du scaphoïde, arthrose de l’articulation carpométacarpienne du pouce, instabilité du ligament scapholunaire, lésions au complexe triangulaire fibrocartilagineux, ténosynovite de De Quervain, tendinopathie de l’extenseur ulnaire du carpe, syndrome du tunnel carpien et kystes ganglionnaires. Lors de l’évaluation de la douleur chronique au poignet, l’imagerie diagnostique par radiographies peut servir d’outil auxiliaire important, mais ne devrait pas l’emporter sur la suspicion clinique. L’imagerie avancée (tomodensitométrie ou imagerie par résonance magnétique) devrait généralement être plus judicieusement prescrite par un chirurgien de la main, lorsqu’il s’agit de préciser le diagnostic et d’orienter le traitement.
La douleur chronique au poignet est un problème invalidant sur le plan fonctionnel, dont la prise en charge optimale est un diagnostic et un traitement sans délai. Une anamnèse et un examen physique rigoureux sont les pierres angulaires d’une évaluation efficace. Lorsque le diagnostic est tardif, certaines pathologies du poignet peuvent entraîner des issues relativement défavorables, comme la pseudarthrose du scaphoïde causant une arthrose diffuse du poignet.
To develop an approach for identifying, investigating, and initially managing common causes of chronic wrist pain seen by primary care practitioners.
Relevant clinical evidence and literature were identified using the PubMed database.
Chronic wrist pain is a common presentation in the primary care setting. The complex anatomy of the wrist leads to a broad differential diagnosis. Elements of history, findings of physical examinations and investigations, and management relevant to the following pathologies are discussed, including scaphoid fracture nonunion, thumb carpometacarpal joint osteoarthritis, scapholunate ligament instability, triangular fibrocartilage complex injuries, de Quervain tenosynovitis, extensor carpi ulnaris tendinopathy, carpal tunnel syndrome, and ganglion cysts. When evaluating chronic wrist pain, diagnostic imaging with x-ray scans can serve as an important ancillary investigation tool but should not override clinical suspicion. Advanced imaging (computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging) is generally best ordered by a hand surgeon when it will help clarify a diagnosis and guide treatment.
Chronic wrist pain is a functionally limiting problem best managed with timely diagnosis and treatment. A thorough history and physical examination are the cornerstones of an effective evaluation. When diagnosis is delayed, some wrist pathologies can lead to relatively poor outcomes, such as a scaphoid fracture nonunion resulting in diffuse wrist osteoarthritis.
To understand Nova Scotian family physicians’ and emergency department (ED) physicians’ knowledge of, attitudes about, and experience with organ donation and transplantation in the context of the Human Organ and Tissue Donation Act (HOTDA).
An electronic, self-administered survey.
Nova Scotia.
All family physicians and ED physicians practising in Nova Scotia.
Demographic characteristics, experience with organ donation and transplantation, knowledge about organ donation and HOTDA, attitudes toward organ donation and HOTDA, and opportunities for and barriers to the implementation of the HOTDA in clinical practice. Survey results were analyzed using descriptive statistics.
Overall, 211 family physicians and 73 ED physicians responded to the survey. Most respondents had favourable attitudes around organ donation and most supported a deemed consent model. Nearly three-quarters of family physicians indicated they have a conversation around organ donation only if it is initiated by the patient. In the ED setting, the most common barriers to organ donation and deemed consent were lack of familiarity with the organ donation referral process, refusal of permission from families, and unknown wishes of the deceased.
Family physicians and ED physicians had positive attitudes toward organ donation, including high support for a deemed consent model. However, specific knowledge gaps and training topics were identified that should be addressed within the context of this model.
To explore experiences of patients who have complex chronic conditions (CCCs), such as fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, when they request medical assistance in dying (MAID) in Canada.
Qualitative study using semistructured interviews.
Canada.
Individuals with CCCs who had contacted any 1 of 4 advocacy organizations between January 21, 2021, and December 20, 2022, about requesting MAID for suffering related to CCCs or who had applied and been assessed for MAID.
Interviews were conducted virtually (by video or audio) and recordings were transcribed. Thematic analysis was conducted in an iterative manner with abductive analysis. As interviews were completed, transcripts were reviewed and emerging themes were discussed at regular intervals.
Sixteen individuals were interviewed. All spoke of long-lasting suffering that was unresponsive to an array of medical treatments. Although some participants had hoped to receive MAID immediately following the 90-day assessment period, many mentioned that approval would provide or had provided validation of their illness and a sense of control, especially should their illness become unbearable. Participants sharply distinguished between MAID and suicide, saying they preferred MAID because it offered greater certainty and caused less emotional pain to others. Many said that participating in this research was beneficial because they believed the interviewers truly listened to them.
Participants described experiences with CCCs and requests for MAID. This information may provide family doctors with new insight to inform interactions with patients with CCCs.
To highlight recommendations from the Canadian Thoracic Society (CTS) 2021 asthma guideline for adults and children aged 12 years and older and to address controversies related to the update.
The CTS 2021 asthma guideline.
Asthma is a common condition encountered in primary care. Poor symptom control and exacerbations contribute substantially to the burden of disease. Practice guidelines have been shifting in recent years toward more aggressive treatment of very mild and mild asthma, with goals of optimizing symptom control and reducing exacerbations. Consider underlying risk of exacerbation, extent of asthma symptoms, adherence levels, and treatment cost when choosing therapy for patients with very mild and mild asthma.
The goal of this article is to briefly review the evidence and rationale behind treatment options in the CTS guideline to help physicians make patient-centred decisions.
Recently, a 3-year-old patient in my practice urgently needed to go to the emergency department. The patient was found to have supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) and needed immediate treatment with adenosine. What evidence is currently available for management of SVT in children?
Supraventricular tachycardia is a common cardiac condition in the pediatric population that manifests as a narrow QRS complex tachycardia on electrocardiography. Symptoms may range from palpitations, poor feeding, and irritability to more substantial hemodynamic instability. Patients who are hemodynamically stable can benefit from interventions such as vagal maneuvers, which can be done in the office. Such maneuvers include the Valsalva maneuver, stimulation of the diving reflex (for infants), and unilateral carotid sinus massage. Other children may need pharmacologic therapies to restore normal heart rhythm, which usually consists of a rapid intravenous injection of adenosine under monitoring. For patients who are hemodynamically unstable, emergency cardioversion may be needed.
To describe clinicians’ experiences with assessing patients making track 2 requests for medical assistance in dying (MAID) and providing MAID to such patients in the first 6 months after Canada amended relevant legislation in March 2021 to expand access to MAID.
Online survey with closed and open-ended questions about clinicians’ experiences with individual patients making track 2 MAID requests.
Canada.
Doctors and nurse practitioners who were members of the Canadian Association of MAID Assessors and Providers.
The most common reasons patients gave for making track 2 MAID requests and the challenges providers identified in doing these assessments.
Twenty-three MAID providers submitted information about 54 patients who had made track 2 requests between March 17, 2021 and September 17, 2021. The most common diagnoses were chronic pain syndromes, affecting 28 patients (51.9%), and complex chronic conditions such as myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome, affecting 8 patients (14.8%). The most common challenges providers reported were related to patients having concurrent mental illness, noted in 37 assessments (68.5%). In 8 cases (14.8%), providers faced challenges in finding experts to help with assessments. In 19 cases (35.2%), providers felt patients had not been offered all appropriate and available treatments, and in 9 cases (16.7%) providers encountered difficulties in finding such treatments for patients.
Providers of MAID described many challenges in their experiences with patients making track 2 requests, including assessing individuals with concurrent mental illnesses, being uncertain that patients had been offered appropriate treatments prior to seeking MAID, and being unsure whether patients had seriously considered available treatments. Many providers experienced moral distress in attempting to balance patients’ rights with what might be in patients’ best interests. This is different from experiences providers have had with patients making track 1 requests, as most of these patients have end-stage malignancy or organ failure and seldom have unmet health care needs. This information could be used to enhance education and support for clinicians as they help patients with track 2 requests access their right to peaceful deaths.
To describe the provision of care for young people following first diagnosis of psychotic disorder.
Retrospective cohort study using health administrative data.
Ontario.
People aged 14 to 35 years with a first diagnosis of nonaffective psychotic disorder in Ontario between 2005 and 2015 (N=39,449).
Models of care, defined by psychosis-related service contacts with primary care physicians and psychiatrists during the 2 years after first diagnosis of psychotic disorder.
During the 2-year follow-up period, 29% of the cohort received only primary care, 30% received only psychiatric care, and 32% received both primary and psychiatric care (shared care). Among the shared care group, 72% received care predominantly from psychiatrists, 20% received care predominantly from primary care physicians, and 9% received approximately equal care from psychiatry and primary care. Variation in patient and physician characteristics was observed across the different models of care.
One in 3 young people with psychotic disorder received shared care during the 2-year period after first diagnosis. The findings highlight opportunities for increasing collaboration between primary care physicians and psychiatrists to enhance the quality of care for those with early psychosis.