Health Matters - Apple Magazine Health Matters Winter 2019 | Page 6

“If you want to have a full
life, you have to look after
yourself. It’s important to
get those checkups.”
— Stephen Nichol
At Bockmuehl’s clinic, patient
panelling is standard practice.
Through panelling, he and his fellow
physicians at the clinic provide
continuity of care, and have more
options for assisting their patients.
For instance, Dr. Karen Seigel has
started a panel management project
for chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease (COPD) patients. She aims
to develop a more robust team
approach that could reduce hospital
care for highest-risk patients. Dr.
Janet Reynolds is looking at patients
in her panel to determine who may
be taking a medication needlessly.
If your family doctor is always your
go-to person for health concerns,
then they are aware of all of your
health issues and can help you make
more informed health decisions.
Proactive care makes
a difference
Within a month of his aneurysm
diagnosis, Nichol had a computed
tomography (CT) scan, met with his
surgeon and had surgery. Within
four months, he was back on his
bike, riding like a champion up to
50 km at a time.
“I’m pretty good now,” he says. “I
exercise quite a bit, walking and bike
riding. I have done two 50-km rides
in a month, and I was pleased to get
back up to 50 km. I’m not quite as fit
as I was but the doctor thinks I’ll be
back to that next year.”
Patient panelling offers an ongoing
and powerful way for family
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HEALTH MATTERS
winter 2019
With patient panelling, family doctors can look ahead to
see what their patients may need, and do work behind
the scenes to ensure their good health
doctors to assist their patients with
proactive care. Since his surgery,
Nichol continues his regular visits
with his family doctor. “If you
want to have a full life, you have to
look after yourself,” he says. “It’s
important to get those checkups.”
Nichol’s surgeon thought his
aneurysm could have been present
for 10 years. “That was quite a
sobering thought,” Nichol says. “It
could have been an autopsy that
found it. I’m pretty lucky.”
Before his surgery, Nichol was told
he couldn’t lift anything more than
2.2 kg (five pounds). Now that
he’s well on the road to recovery,
he’s looking forward to seeing his
granddaughter on her next visit. “I
wasn’t allowed to pick her up last
time, but I’m pretty sure I’ll be able
to this time.” HM