July

By Carol Cassella. Simon and Schuster Paperbacks, 2009. ISBN 9781416556114. Paperback, 320 pages. $19.99.

Oxygen is a well-crafted novel set in the quite realistic life of an anesthesiologist in a Seattle hospital. I was pleasantly surprised that the day-to-day descriptions rang very true and yet provided fodder for a harrowing, mysterious, and life-changing event to take place.

I agree with the concern about anti­biotic use in our livestock ­ex­pressed in Dr Bill Mackie’s COHP column [BCMJ 2010;52:309].

In addition to the problem of antibiotic-resistant organisms, there is a potential of sensitization from the residual antibiotics in the livestock resulting in subsequent antibiotic allergy in patients. 

Improving practice efficiency for specialists
Following the success of the Practice Support Program (PSP) for general practitioners, a number of practice efficiency improvement learning mod­ules are now being offered to specialist physicians around the province. 

The Advanced Access Scheduling module is designed to help physicians manage their workflow and reduce patient wait times. At its heart is a disciplined approach to balancing a physician’s daily availability of time with the demands for that time. 

How did I become so jaded and untrusting? I was recently sitting in a meeting discussing the possibility of our local GPs forming a division of family practice when I found myself wondering what the government’s real agenda was. 

On the surface the plan appeared simple. Once a division is formed there is a collaborative services committee consisting of representatives from the division, the Ministry of Health, and the health region. 

In my regular encounters with medical students during their clinical rotations, I am impressed by their general level of maturity and accomplishment. Like most of my contemporaries, I am extremely grateful that I entered medical school when I did, because today I would have a microscopic chance of making it. By and large I rely on Socratic methods of clinical instruction. That is, I expect that the students with whom I see patients will have a decent understanding of what’s happening, without me having to spell it out.