The donation of an interpretive electrocardiogram will allow medical teams to diagnose life-threatening emergencies in a “timely manner” at the West Coast Family Medical Clinic in Sooke, family physician Dr. Tracy Forsberg said.
It’s the first time the clinic has had dedicated ECG equipment.
The machine was funded by the Sooke and Juan de Fuca Health Foundation for $3,000.
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“Expanding the scope of community-based diagnostic services increases the ability of our local medical team to diagnose life-threatening emergencies in a timely manner and will play a great part in reducing travel to unnecessary emergency room visits,” Forsberg said.
When the health foundation heard of the clinic’s need for an electrocardiogram it encouraged the medical team to work with it to acquire the much-needed technology, as it fits with the foundation’s goal of enhancing a broad range of health-related needs of Sooke Region residents.
“Improving patient-focused outcomes in our community requires that local health care providers have the latest point-of-care diagnostic tools,” Sally McLean, a health foundation board member, said.
“This will be valuable for on-site diagnosis, as part of therapeutic treatment, or as essential information that’s sent to the hospital with a patient.”
ECG machines allow the medical team to evaluate the electrical activity of heart tissue and, in a matter of minutes, have a clear idea of the patient’s cardiac function recorded for evaluation.
Previously, patients needed to attend a private lab or sent to a hospital’s ER for evaluation.
Other Sooke and Juan de Fuca Health Foundation initiatives underway are in support of diagnostic equipment to provide patient point-of-care care at Ayre Manor, as well as an outreach effort to try to get a handle on the gaps that both service providers and clients are reporting in the delivery of mental health services to vulnerable populations in the region.
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