The Good Health Team
Practitioners from various fields of health work in interdisciplinary teams addressing individual and community health issues, with the overall goal of improving the management of chronic diseases.Pincher Creek’s team, known as the Good Health Team, is made up of a Registered Nurse, a Registered Social Worker, a Registered Dietitian, a Pharmacist, and a Respiratory Technologist.
Patients are referred to the Team either by their family doctor, by health professionals outside The Associate Clinic or they can self-refer to the Team.
Patients will see any combination of two Team members, and before discharge may have seen all Team members. This allows for comprehensive history taking and supports the person-in-environment approach to care.
Physician involvement varies based upon the needs of the patient and the physician. The Good Health Team is meant to support physician care not replace it. Sometimes, it looks outside of the health sector to meet a patient’s needs, making referrals to community agencies, school resources or provincial or municipal services.
It can address a variety of issues such as medications, diet and lifestyle changes, education and management of chronic conditions, mental wellness, social factors or the environment the patient lives in.
Patient care priorities are set with the patient and patients are educated in preventive care so they can manage their own care better.
Over the years, patients have indicated they like this approach to care. On top of that, studies show that planning a patient’s care with a team of health professionals improves outcomes, offers a more satisfying experience for the patient and means decreased re-admissions to hospital.
