Building back better by addressing a major missing link
Build back better. I’m hearing this phrase more and more lately. Last week, there was a call from my provincial government for family doctors to pivot back to ‘face-to-face’ care. But what if this isn’t the only missing link? I’m lucky. I’ve been making home palliative care visits for years. So, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the pivot to virtual home visits was challenging for me, but it was entirely conceivable. I struggled trying to navigate the various virtual platforms so I could keep myself safe and continue to care for patients ‘in’ their homes. Technology is not my strong suit. It got to the point where I felt like my home office had turned into ‘Control Central’ without a skilled technician at the helm. Eventually, I became savvier and before I knew it, I was providing 100% virtual care. At first, I thought it was fantastic. This would make it possible to see more patients without the travel time. I could add people to a virtual visit when needed – sometimes I had