FEATURE A way forward SOAP notes are imperative BY DR. DAWN ARMSTRONG, DC OP-ED T he headline of our com-munity paper stated a fact that people in every province and territory already know. “Doctor Shortage Reaching a Critical Point” (Comox Valley Record – July 21, 2021) No doubt, our hospitals and public health offices performed admirably under the stresses of Covid19, but there are cracks in the system big enough to hold the hundreds of thousands of Canadians without a doctor. People here react to this “news” of a shortage of primary caregivers with fear and dread. They’re left hanging, abandoned by the system, worried they won’t get the services they need. As a part of the healthcare community excluded from the national mo-nopoly that exists, I reacted to the headline and the article with exasperation. Once again feeling slighted. I am tired of being mar-ginalized by the healthcare sys-tem, brushed aside and frozen out. I am frustrated that my skills in primary care are overlooked, under-appreciated and un-der-utilized. The local physician inter-viewed for the piece euphemisti-cally described the problem as “an acute attachment gap.” Public discourse is rich in trite, predictable terms. The B.C. Ministry of Health acknowledged the situation, say-ing it is looking into the problem. “Because people come and go, the plan for the community will need to adjust over time as the community need evolves. The Ministry is collaborating with the local Primary Care Network to look at local strategies to ensure patients can receive primary care when they need it – including adding new family physicians and nurse practitioner re-sources.” The PCN was an initiative launched in September 2020 to partner local healthcare profes-sionals with new Indigenous re-sources and community organi-zations as part of a networked, team-based approach to provid-ing integrated, whole-person care. “We are requesting funds to be able to attract and hire those care providers.” More money, please! “Rarely a year goes by that there is not some big-budget, high-profile federal or provincial commission of inquiry into health care and, most notably, health budgets. Political cliches fill the air about efficiencies, No doubt, our hospitals and public health offices performed admirably under the stresses of Covid19, but there are cracks in the system big enough to hold hundreds of thousands of Canadians without a doctor. DR. DAWN ARMSTRONG is a graduate of CMCC and has been in practice for over 30 years. She is currently focused on promoting life-long learning and professional development and has created a continuing education course -Clinical Record Keeping: A Hands-On Approach. Learn more at auroraeducationservices.ca. 20 Chiropractic and Naturopathic Doctor July/August 2022 more billions of dollars, wait-lists and the availability of qualified professionals. Nothing ever changes in a sub-stantive way, except the public per-ception that Canada’s health care system has gone steadily downhill for a quarter century.” This quote, fresh and relevant as it is, was written in 2005: “Squandering Billions: Health Care in Canada” (Bannerman and Nixdorf – Hancock House) It is both informative and pro-vocative, cutting to the heart of what really ails our system. We have independent, for-profit businesses granted a monopoly within a socialized framework – the public picks up the tab, few questions asked. “The merchant doctor faces no competition and the consum-er-patient has a blank cheque for unlimited shopping.” But the shelf at the govern-ment-run store is prone to bare-ness. The healthcare marketplace in Canada has become distorted and twisted up in complicated ways, and now it is rather un-healthy. Bureaucracies flourish, patients languish, and qualified professionals are sidelined. I think it is time for some changes – real changes – to our current system. But honestly, I’ve been waiting for that to happen since the year I started my Chiroprac-tic education, the year the Can-ada Health Act came into effect, and that year was 1984. So, don’t hold your breath! Rather than perpetually stewing in a sense of frustration over the unfairness of the system, we need to step up to the plate and, as Ghandi coun-selled: “Be the change you want to see in the world.” The pan-demic has given us a tremendous opportunity to do just that. In this new era of tele-health and video conferencing, family doctors have become much less reliant on the physical examina-tion. There are fewer and fewer hands-on encounters and that’s where we come in. There is no www.Cndoctor.ca
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