In this picture, a doctor is looking at brain scans from an MRI. (Photo: Anna Shvets / pexels.com)
In Canada, where you get medical care can be a matter of life and death. Research from 2018 by experts at Laval University found that if someone has a stroke in a rural area, they're more likely to die than if it happened in a city. Another study in 2019 said trauma patients in rural areas of Quebec have a higher chance of dying before or in the emergency room.
Dr. Rick Fleet from Laval University is trying to fix this. He thinks we can make things better by teaching doctors and students to think creatively about healthcare problems. He believes that if we understand what people really need, we can come up with better solutions. That’s why he started the Living Lab Charlevoix project.
In this project, medical students spend time in small-town hospitals in Quebec. They learn not just about treating patients, but also about how to make healthcare better. They learn to think like leaders and inventors, coming up with new ideas to help rural communities.
The Canadian Medical Association is helping with this project too. They agree that we need to change how we do things to give rural people better healthcare. They say we have to be open to new ideas and not just keep doing things the same old way.
One idea they’re trying is using technology. They made an app for doctors to use during emergencies with kids. They also tried using artificial intelligence to help doctors take notes faster. But they learned that technology isn’t always the answer. Sometimes, simple ideas like having medical students help out in emergencies work better.
Even though Living Lab Charlevoix is making progress, there’s still a lot to do. Many rural hospitals don’t have important tools like MRI machines or intensive care units. This makes it hard for doctors to help patients in emergencies.
Dr. Jessie Warren, who works in rural Saskatchewan, knows this struggle well. She once had a patient who needed urgent brain surgery, but she had to wait because there was no CT scanner nearby to check what was wrong.
Dr. Fleet used to think there could be one solution for all rural hospitals, but now he knows each place is different. He believes that by working with local communities, we can find the best ways to improve healthcare.
Living Lab Charlevoix isn’t just about fixing healthcare in one place—it’s about showing others how to do it too. Dr. Fleet hopes that by teaching people to be creative and think differently, we can make healthcare better for everyone.
