Dr. Kamil Haider is an Emergency Physician at William Osler Health System (WOHS) in Toronto, Ontario. He is also the Director of the Medical Trainee Program and Regional Mac-CARE (McMaster Community and Rural Education) at WOHS. In this role, Dr. Haider is responsible for the on-site development, administration and coordination of the clinical teaching programs of the Michael G. Degroote School of Medicine in the Osler Clinical Education Campus. As a member of the Sunlife Financial Global Health Program at WOHS, Dr. Haider has travelled to India and Pakistan to promote education and training to medical residents and local physicians in the field of Emergency Medicine.
"As an Emergency Physician practising for over 15 years in a high volume, acute care setting, there have been many patient experiences over the years that have influenced the way I approach and manage my patients. Certainly what is most gratifying is being able to provide effective care for a patient and relieve some of their anxiety or discomfort through timely communication and empathy. This is one of the most rewarding aspects of my practice. From a global health perspective, I certainly believe that health and wellness are values that transcend national boundaries. It has been a humbling experience to contribute to the wellbeing of underprivileged children living in impoverished communities in Karachi, Pakistan through education of residents and physicians working in local paediatric emergency rooms.
I have a keen interest in medical education and truly believe that our learners inspire us as physicians to ‘keep up to date’ and provide the best possible care for our patients. As Director of our Medical Trainee Program, one of my goals is to collaborate with my colleagues at William Osler Health System to enhance the training opportunities for learners at our community hospital at the undergraduate and postgraduate level. I strongly believe that investing in the education of our medical students and residents will continue to make us stronger physicians and improve the quality of care we provide to our patients through evidence based medicine. As a Global Health Ambassador at Osler, another goal I have is to return to India and Pakistan and continue developing the field of Emergency Medicine as a specialty, which is relatively novel in that part of the world. This experience will also allow us to gain invaluable insights about caring for patients we serve within our own communities.
If I had the power to implement one change in the Canadian healthcare system that would be effective tomorrow, it would be to advocate to our physicians and colleagues to reduce the number of unnecessary tests and investigations we order in our practice. Through the ‘Choosing Wisely’ campaign, clinicians and patients can engage in conversations about unnecessary tests and treatments. Up to 30% of tests, treatments, and procedures in Canada are potentially unnecessary. Unnecessary tests, treatments, and procedures do not add value for patients, potentially expose patients to harm, lead to more testing to investigate false positives, contribute to unwarranted stress for patients and their families, and consume precious time and resources. We need to have these crucial conversations with our patients and colleagues to improve our healthcare system for years to come."
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