BCMJ article on how family physician shortage crisis is affecting hospitals and specialists

BCMJ article on how family physician shortage crisis is affecting hospitals and specialists

Problem

• Specialists are overwhelmed with patient loads due to family physician shortages.
• Many patients are referred to specialists for primary care outside the specialist’s scope.
• Specialists cannot discharge patients due to a lack of follow-up care from primary care, leading to longer wait lists and burnout.

Solution

• DNAi provides patients with a link to the specialist’s digital clone for ongoing support.
• Patients can interact with the DNAi between in-person specialist appointments, allowing specialists to focus on more critical cases.
• Specialists receive highly condensed summaries of DNAi-patient interactions, complete with priority-ranked action items for quick review and follow-up.

Use Cases

1. Patient Triage: DNAi helps triage patients by gathering initial information, allowing the specialist to prioritize which patients need immediate attention and which can wait for follow-ups.
2. Post-Appointment Monitoring: DNAi can manage post-appointment interactions, tracking patient recovery or ongoing symptoms and reporting key updates to the specialist, reducing the need for unnecessary visits.
3. Chronic Care Support: For patients with chronic conditions who require frequent monitoring, DNAi offers continual engagement and reports key health changes back to the specialist without taking up the specialist’s direct time.

FAQ

• Does DNAi provide a diagnosis or treatment plan?
• Can DNAi replace the specialist?
• Can DNAi handle emergencies?