COVID-19 Update from the Department of Medicine
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As of April 9, 2020 in Nova Scotia
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373
positive tests
(262 in Central Zone)
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NSHA Microbiology lab will move to full 24-hour operations and capable of processing over 1,000 COVID-19 tests per day.
Travel has been removed as a requirement to be referred for testing for COVID-19
. Announced April 7.
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Now operating
24
hours / day
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Dear Department Members,
There has been a steady growth in COVID cases over the last week, but hospitalizations are still low. This has allowed us to continue with rapid and comprehensive planning, so that we are ready, as admitted cases increase in the coming weeks.
There has been ongoing education of staff and residents so that we can all work with COVID patients and remain safe.
There is now evidence of community spread. What is really important in Nova Scotia is that this is contained spread, so it is different than what we are seeing elsewhere. Public Health has been doing an amazing job of tracing cases and contacts, which is allowing proper isolation practices to go into place and this will minimizing the impact of community spread. This, along with all the social distancing practices we are all working hard at, will minimize the total number of cases that we will have to manage.
We are all getting up to speed with virtual care and this is allowing us to continue to manage people needing our specialty services. It is also helping us connect better with primary care and support them in their patient management. This will definitely result in pathways and platforms that will enhance the care we give after COVID is behind us.
We continue to teach through virtual technology; and we are continuing to work with the Faculty and NSHA Research and Innovation to figure out how to best support our research teams during this unprecedented time.
The Newsletter is full of information and links that we hope will keep you in touch and better able to navigate these uncertain times.
Don’t hesitate to reach out to me in the coming days if you have questions or needs.
Keep well everyone!
Christine
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See
attached schedule
for uncovered shifts in the MTU, ED as Senior Internist, and spares/floats in the event of illness. Opportunities are available - April 17th onwards.
Please note: the call for spares does not mean that you are on call - just available to step in if someone gets sick.
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Successful CIHR application - COVID-19
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Congratulations to
PIs
Dr. Shelly McNeil and Dr. Melissa Andrew
on their successful application to CIHR's Operating Grant: COVID-19 Clinical Epidemiology Research Rapid Response.
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Project title
:
Sentinel surveillance, viral shedding, clinical characteristics and outcomes of confirmed and suspected hospitalized cases of COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2 infection in the Canadian Immunization Research Network (CIRN) Serious Outcomes Surveillance Network
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Change in masking practice
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NSHA / Dr. Brendan Carr, CEO
April 7, 2020
Video: 3 min
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NSHA / Dr. Glenn Patriquin
Uploaded: April 3, 2020
Video: 3 min
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Nova Scotia Health Authority
Uploaded: April 1, 2020
Video: 19 min
For a list of all videos, go to:
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NSHA / Dr. Lynn Johnston
Uploaded: March 13, 2020
Video: 10 min
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CTV News / George Washington University Hospital
Uploaded: March 28, 2020
Video: 1 min
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We recognize this is a stressful time for physicians and are working to create a proactive approach to wellness in an effort to minimize burnout.
To improve access to wellness related resources, we’ve asked each division to nominate a physician wellness champion. Thank you to those who have volunteered so far! If you’re interested in this role, please contact us for further details.
We’re also working with Doctors of Nova Scotia and experts in mindfulness, ethics, peer support, cognitive behavioural therapy, child and adolescent stress management and more to bring you virtual meetings and workshops covering a wide range of wellness topics.
Stay safe!
Thanks!
- Matt and Kata
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Helping healthcare heroes
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Partners for Care launched this website in support of NSHA/IWK healthcare workers. There are currently 34 offers listed for the Central Zone.
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COVID-19 and Healthcare Workers (April 8, 2020)
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This PDF discusses the stories from China and Italy and risk of COVID.
Authors: Drs. Lynn Johnston and Glenn Patriquin
Uploaded: April 8, 2020
PDF: 4 pages
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- Requests for additional Clinical Applications are made through the ITAssyst Tool on your desktop.
- You may put Denise Hatchette as your approver.
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One very handy app is the Drug Information System (DIS)
- Go to: ITAssyst Tool (icon on your desktop)
- Login: your username and password are the same as when you log into windows
- Click Access
- Click Application Access
- Click SHARE DIS Add Change or Reactivate
- Complete all the little ticky boxes
- Add Denise Hatchette as Approver
- Click Send.
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Order Sets / Pre printed orders (PPOs)
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PPOs related to COVID-19:
For additional order sets:
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Billing for phone/virtual care
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Complex phone assessments are billed the exact same - just like the in-person complex assessments.
From the
recent MSI bulletins
, you only need to use start and stop time if you are using the
3.03X
code, which is the new virtual health code.
"As announced in the March 18, 2020 MSI Bulletin, effective March 13, 2020, health service code 03.03X is available for billing on an interim basis for telephone management and telehealth management for presumptive/confirmed Covid-19 diagnosis as well as routine/interval care during the pandemic."
If you are billing your normal codes, there is no requirement to record start/stop time.
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03.03x
needs start/stop time
Go to MSI Bulletins:
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by
Drs. Ashley Miller (GIM) and Christy Bussey (HMU)

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Dr. Lisa Barrett
, Division of Infectious Diseases, addresses COVID-19 concerns in the media. (list not all inclusive)
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CTV News Atlantic
April 7
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"I wanted to pass along a huge thank you to Dr. Lisa Barrett for her interview(s) on CTV News. She answered questions clearly and in layman’s terms so we can all understand. ... She is a great communicator and a pleasure to listen to.
Thanks for all you do!"
~ Comment received via email from the public

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Crohn's & Colitis webinar
April 2
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CTV News Atlantic
April 1 & 2
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CTV News Atlantic
March 27
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CBC Mainstreet NS
March 20 / 23
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(starts at 31 min 50 sec mark)
CBC - Maritime Connection
March 22
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CBC - Mainstreet NS
March 19
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(starts at 3 minute mark)
CBC - Mainstreet NS
March 17
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CBC - Maritime Connection
March 15
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QEII ED COVID Surge Planning Consulting Services
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In anticipation of the COVID surge to EDs in the Central Zone, in particular to the Halifax Infirmary as the regional/provincial referral centre, it is vitally important that patient flow through the department is maintained, and when possible, alternative pathways for consulted patients be considered. As part of the institutional pandemic plan specific to the HI Emergency Department, all clinical departments should:
1. Adhere to the 2-hour time from consultation to disposition policy. If the patient requires a period of observation/treatment before the decision to discharge can be made, the patient should be admitted to hospital with early discharge from inpatient unit if appropriate. Delayed decision making adversely affects patient flow.
2. All external consults requesting transfer to the HI should be directed to staff physicians from the consulting service and not to residents.
• If the transfer can safely be delayed, consideration should be given to holding the patient in their home hospital until a controlled transfer directly to an in-patient bed can be arranged.
• If the patient requires immediate transfer, arrangements should be made, in consultation with the Bed Flow Manager to admit the patient directly to an in-patient bed.
• If the patient requires transfer to the HI ED, this should not happen until the consultant staff physician communicates with the charge emergency physician and the ED accepts the patient transfer.
Dr. Todd C. Howlett MD CCFP(EM) FCFP
Interim Executive Medical Director, Central Zone
Chief of Staff/Site Medical Lead at DGH/NSHA
Assistant Professor, Dalhousie University
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DNS Board Election Results
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Dr. Shelly McNeil was elected to the specialist from inside Halifax seat on Doctors Nova Scotia's Board of Directors. Dr. McNeil will begin her term in June.

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DoM Research during COVID-19
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Groceries being stocked in cafeterias
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Cafeterias at the QEII are stocking everyday grocery essentials such as:
- loaves of bread
- six-pack homemade muffins
- cartons of milk
- bunches of fruit
If there's anything else you'd like to see offered, let Nutrition and Food Services know while you're in the cafeteria.
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Summer Savory Restaurant
2nd Floor Summer Street
7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
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Starbucks Café
4th Floor Robie Street (No Public Access)
7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. (modified hours)
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Veteran’s Memorial Café
Main Floor VMB
7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (M-F)
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Scotia Room Cafeteria
VG Site
6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
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University of Manitoba News
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N95 Mask Decontamination using Standard Hospital Sterilization Technologies
Anand Kumar, Samantha B. Kasloff, Anders Leung, Todd Cutts, James E. Strong, Kevin Hills, Gloria Vazquez-Grande, Sylvain Lother, Ryan Zarychanski and Jay Krishnan
April 2, 2020 - preliminary manuscript
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Stanfield's to supply protective gowns
NSHA has signed a contract with Stanfield's to purchase protective gowns for health care workers in the province.
Read full story on NSHA News, April 7, 2020.
Stanfield's Underwear has "an initial goal of building over 2,000 medical gowns per shift and in the long-term, begin to build a domestic Canadian supply of such equipment and garments."
Gowns have been approved by Health Canada and PHAC.
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Recommendations from Italy
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The Italian coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak: recommendations from clinical practice
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M. Sorbello, K. El-Boghdadly, I. Di Giacinto, R. Cataodo, C. Esposito, et al.
First published: 27 March 2020
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Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Situation dashboard
World Health Organization
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OVERVIEW (MAP)
- by cases
- by deaths
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EXPLORER (CHART VIEW)
- tracking starts January 9, 2020
- best viewed on large screen
- customize display of axes and countries
- up to the minute reporting depends on time zone of country
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COVID-19 Weekly Update for DoM
Tuesdays - 8 - 9 am
Join by Skype or phone
(p
lease stay muted unless presenting)
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Nova Scotia Health Authority
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Office of the Dean,
Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University
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Doctors Nova Scotia (requires login)
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Government of Nova Scotia
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When you take care of yourself, you take care of others.
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