BC ECHO ON SUBSTANCE USE
The BC ECHO on Substance Use is a provincial community of practice that aims to build capacity within primary care to treat and manage substance use disorders (SUDs) through monthly Project ECHO sessions and a monthly newsletter with information about SUD-related events, resources, and news. This work is complemented by the Addiction Practice Pod, the BCCSU’s podcast on substance use disorder care.
Primary care providers, allied health care providers, and other frontline workers are encouraged to join ECHO sessions, sign up for the newsletter, and check out the Addiction Practice Pod.
The BC ECHO on Substance Use program is funded by British Columbia’s Ministry of Health and Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions. The program also acknowledges founding support from Health Canada’s Substance Use and Addictions Program and Doctors of BC.
BC ECHO on Substance Use sessions
BC ECHO on Substance Use sessions aims to help primary care providers and their teams build capacity in the treatment and management of substance use disorders. Through participation in Project ECHO sessions, primary care providers and their teams benefit from didactic lectures and patient case presentations followed by interdisciplinary discussions, all of which are aimed at supporting the application of evidence-based practices within their care settings. The ultimate goal of Project ECHO sessions is to improve health outcomes for patients and families in British Columbia (BC).
Click here for more information about upcoming sessions and for links to recordings of previous sessions.
FAQs
ECHO sessions are held monthly on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12:00pm-1:00pm Pacific Time.
Visit the BC ECHO on Substance Use website to register for upcoming ECHO sessions. Register once for the program and you will be added to our monthly newsletter to receive information about upcoming ECHO sessions, which you sign-up for individually.
There are many reasons to join a BC ECHO on Substance Use session, including:
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- It’s free.
- It’s virtual – all you need is a computer or a smartphone to join.
- It’s a good opportunity to connect with a community of primary care and community care providers who face similar clinical scenarios.
- You can earn continuing medical education (CME) credits: ECHO sessions are certified by the College of Family Physicians of Canada for 1 Mainpro+ credit per session, and by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons for 1 Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Section 1 group learning credit per session.
Using an interactive, web-based platform (ZOOM videoconferencing), ECHO sessions link clinicians from across BC to a core interdisciplinary team with expertise in managing substance use disorders. Sessions consist of three main components:
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- A brief didactic presentation on a specific care topics
- A case presentation from a participating clinician
- A collaborative interdisciplinary discussion between session guest experts and session participants to develop clinical recommendations for the case
The ECHO Model is an effective approach that engages rural and remote health care providers, enhances competencies, improves uptake of evidence-based provider behaviours, and promotes better patient health outcomes for patients.
For more information on the ECHO model, please visit https://echo.unm.edu/
Everyone is welcome to attend. The topics and didactic lectures are targeted toward primary care providers (i.e., primary care physicians and nurse practitioners); however, we encourage anyone who supports individuals with problematic substance use or substance use disorder(s) and their families to attend.
Learn more
For more information on the BC ECHO on Substance Use program, please visit the BC ECHO on Substance Use website.
To inquire about attending, leading a session or submitting a case for discussion, please email [email protected].