Choosing Wisely Canada held its seventh annual National Meeting on May 25 and 26. While we spent the two days online and once again physically apart, the National Meeting remains a unique opportunity to learn about leading Choosing Wisely initiatives happening across the country.

Tackling Climate Change  

We opened the National Meeting with a timely keynote panel on reducing waste, harm, and our environmental impact. Our expert panel, which included Dr. Natalia Kurek from NHS England and Anna Cooper Reed and Dr. Edward Xie from the University of Toronto, illustrated the clear synergy that exists between resource stewardship and reducing our carbon footprint. The panel highlighted the rapid and widespread changes needed to tackle climate change and how reducing low-value care can contribute to a sustainable future.

Moving the Needle on Overuse

The second day of the National Meeting opened with a keynote session where panelists debated “Is Canada making a difference in moving the needle on overuse?” This question ignited differing perspectives from Dr. Kaveh Shojania from Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Janet Davidson from Nova Scotia Health Authority, and Tracy Johnson from the Canadian Institute for Health Information. While panelists debated whether quality improvement efforts only provide incremental changes, overwhelmingly the panel agreed that there needs to be a fundamental shift to bring together clinicians, governments, policymakers, and members of the public together to drive system changes collectively.

Choosing Wisely and Wellness

Dr. Mamata Gautam, known as the doctors’ doctor, delivered a thoughtful and reflective keynote on the importance of clinician wellness. In a profession that is so accustomed to taking care of others, Dr. Gautam reminded participants of the importance of self-care and provided practical strategies on how to ingrate these approaches into our busy schedules.

Concurrent Sessions Tackling Overuse

Finally, participants had the opportunity to join concurrent sessions on a variety of Choosing Wisely topics, available in English and French. Sessions included deprescribing, implementing Choosing Wisely in hospitals, shared decision-making, and abstracts sharing a variety of initiatives and innovations (just to name a few!) from across Canada. The concurrent sessions also included the official launch of Using Labs Wisely, a national consortium of hospitals implementing and measuring change, sharing data, and becoming part of a learning community. Interested hospitals can now apply for a September 2022 start.

While we couldn’t share all the impressive efforts of our Choosing Wisely community at this year’s virtual event, we encourage you to browse the 2022 Abstract Book. This provides a snapshot of the Choosing Wisely improvement projects taking place across the country.

Thank you:

A big thank you to our National Meeting Planning Committee, Choosing Wisely Canada staff, and the University of Ottawa Continuing Professional Development Office for organizing the two-day event. We also extend our thanks to the Canadian Medical Association and key campaign collaborators who joined via the virtual booths.

We’re hopeful for an in-person meeting next year where we can continue these important conversations and learnings with the wider Choosing Wisely community. We hope to see you there!