How one physician utilized HDC Discover for management of patients with diabetes

It was during a Health Data Coalition Board meeting where I first heard Dr Omesh Syal’s story of how, during the early days of the pandemic, he was able to make small changes that directly helped both his diabetic patients and his practice.

It all started, very simply, with browsing his HDC Discover dashboard.

Dr Syal decided to take a look in HDC Discover at higher risk patients such as those with Diabetes. Although type 2 diabetes typically occurs in adults, rates among children are rising. According to BC Ministry of Health data, the number of people diagnosed with type 1 or 2 diabetes in Prince George annually is 544. Prince George is Dr Syal’s community. This population group often becomes complex in nature, with associated comorbidities to manage. (Source)

Dr Syal noticed that the average HbA1c for his diabetic patients was higher than what he thought it should be. He saw that this was also true in his community. After looking deeper into his EMR data for patients with HbA1c over 7, he observed that the patients that had the most challenges with their blood sugar also were patients who needed complex care with other comorbidities such as coronary artery disease, COPD, and renal failure.

Under BC MSP, physicians are compensated to develop a care plan for their complex patients yearly as needed. Dr Syal normally takes Friday afternoons to catch up on his practice, and promptly worked with his staff to use this time to call in all his complex diabetics patients for a longer consultation on their medications, diet, and exercise. He also asked patients with less well controlled diabetes to check their HbA1c at the lab every 3 months.

Dr Syal found it rewarding to spend this time with his complex patients. Even more so, it was great for him to see an immediate and sustained improvement in their blood sugar. In HDC Discover, Dr Syal could see that the average HbA1c of his patients immediately began to decline and that levels are now lower and more aligned with his patients’ goals. Using HDC Discover in this way was a rewarding experience that benefited both Dr Syal and his patients.

 As clinical Services Director at HDC, I love to hear stories of how physicians across the province are using the tool we work on each and every day to make a positive difference for their patients and for their practice. This is why we do what we do.

 In the very near future, the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) will be implementing new criteria for any Continuing Professional Development activity that falls under the Assessment category for Mainpro+ credits. These criteria will encourage the use of tools, such as HDC Discover, which allow physicians to review and reflect on their current state and compare their data with an established standard or norm, such as the latest Diabetes Canada Guidelines and the soon to be released BC Diabetic Guidelines.

In the meantime, if you are a primary care physician in British Columbia, I invite you to register for access. HDC Discover is available at no cost to BC physicians thanks to sponsorship by the General Practice Services Committee (GPSC).

If you have any questions, I or my team would be happy to chat! Send me a message, or email [email protected].