It comes as no surprise with the doctor shortage in Nova Scotia that people are struggling with their health and ailments. A last updated report has shown that while the PC government is making some strides towards bettering the way we see medical professionals, they still are missing the mark. At time of writing it is believed that a staggering 110,000 individuals still are seeking their health care providers.
Since in government, there have been some progress. From the last update removing nearly 9,000 people from the wait list to match with a health care practitioner. And the mobile clinic at places like Cobequid Health Center on weekends which is essentially like a “speed dating a doctor” where you are able to go for minor ailments, prescription refills, checking things for asthma among a list of symptoms and treatable issues. This is a particular service that I personally have used and have nothing but good things to say (though that is for a different piece!). One service being provided to Nova Scotians seems to be missing the mark. That is Maple.
What is Maple? And no, we aren’t talking the syrup. Maple is a virtual app that is used with doctors to help diagnose illness and ailments without having to tie up a walk in doctor (which are almost non-existent) or waiting for hours and hours in an emergency room where things are triaged due to severity and you likely are going to be continuesly bumped down the list for by your minor cough. While the Maple app is not free, totally, if you don’t have a family doctor and are on the wait list to be placed with one it is. Even if you do have a family doctor they do provide 2 free visits based on your health card because some family doctor or health practioners are weeks to even book an appointment.
Nothing is without flaws though. Maple is no exception to this. One hiccup users found was that they had to register a particular way to have the free sessions show up. Some even had to go as far to call support and ask why their visits were showing the fee. The fact there is a certain way to register is a way for people to deter using the service especially since many don’t have the added funds to be paying to seek a doctors advice and support.
Many users have said that the app was helpful. They have said they used it for minor ailments, prescriptions, referrals to other health care professionals, and getting things like blood work or x-rays ordered as well. They have said that the service has saved them precious time in what they normally would have to wait at a walk in clinic or emergency to have fixed. Some users haven’t had this experience. Some have fallen through the cracks by getting the run around from doctors who have a less than ideal bedside manner.
Janet Dermody is one of these people. In December she was involved in a 5 car pileup on the highway. A women who had routinely been active by clearing her land of vegetation and debris of fallen trees with no pain, to after this accident in pain her neck, hands and back. She also was someone who had to jump through the hoops to even be registered properly. Once the app was situated she was contacted by a doctor. This doctor had ordered x-rays to help and isolate the issues and figure out the source of this new pain as a direct result of this high speed accident. The pain still was persistence and present in her daily life so she decided to go back to the app and request an x-rays, this time on her lower back because the other was upper. She was matched with a doctor that was not ideal. This doctor instead scolded her on why her physiotherapy never sent her home with exercises. And made an exclamation of “You shouldn’t have even been sent to get X-rays to begin with”. When using Maple for a follow up appointment after the less than ideal results, and scolding from a doctor. She was also met with another dismissive doctor that their expertise wanted to immediately prescribe medications to mask the pain Janet had continued describing for the doctors she met on Maple.
Among other answers to a question in a group for Nova Scotians called Ask Nova Scotia: Anything Goes (Mostly) the answers seemed to be relatively okay. In saying that there were still people with issues such as:
– Inconvenience of waiting for the call back.
– Being told still to seek a medical professional in person.
– Disconnect between using the app multiple times and doctors not looking at previous visits.
Some people also had really great experiences and found the app to save time, the sending of prescriptions when needed to pharmacies and things also helping majorly in the health care we have here that is in shambles.
Overall, it is a step towards some relief for health care in Nova Scotia. Which is no doubt a great thing. The challenge is that sometimes we really need to seek out the physical reassurance through clinics where doctors can look you over and check you in person. And while this does negate some stress on the overall system it shouldn’t become a replacement for larger issues too.
Stacey J. Girard 