Get to Know Dr. Sam Gharbi
Dr. Sam Gharbi likes to think on a macro scale with respect to systemic improvements and efficiency in healthcare.
He is a specialist physician passionate about shifting the delay patients experience in getting the medical help they need. He’s held positions in outpatient clinical care, the inpatient hospital setting, and, for five years, served as Associate Chief Medical Information Officer for Vancouver Coastal Health Authority. In short, Dr. Gharbi is highly aware of strengths and weaknesses that exist in the medical system. A weakness Dr. Gharbi has identified and sees persisting, is the lack of attention and treatment patients receive for iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia (ID & IDA). It’s true that ID & IDA affects the broader population, but the incidence is inordinately higher in women and is a big issue in women’s health.
Dr. Gharbi’s opinion is that treatment through IV iron is highly effective in rapidly and effectively addressing symptoms of iron deficiency anemia in comparison to oral iron, which is often difficult to absorb, causes significant side effects such as stomach upset and chronic constipation, and slow to replete iron levels, leaving patients suffering for months if not years.
Dr. Gharbi sees transformational shifts in patients that have suffered for years using perpetual courses of oral iron pills. Dr. Gharbi has been working diligently to improve access to IV iron for patients that need treatment by co-spearheading the Don’t have a Doctor? (DHAD?) program and recognizing the critical service that Mainline Wellness has been providing to patients.
How do you see the before and aftereffects of patient responses to IV iron?
Dr. Gharbi: Infusion treatment has been transformational for many of my patients. Before IV iron, my patients experience chronic fatigue, trouble breathing, palpitations, hair loss, and decreased exercise tolerance…these symptoms affect every aspect of their day to day, leading to a poorer quality of life. It is frustrating as I am not sure why such barriers to treatment exist. Most people are put on iron supplements that are expensive and create issues such as constipation and stomach upset. What’s more is that patients often need to take pills for 6 to 12 months with only marginal improvement in their symptoms and iron levels. Currently, accessibility is the biggest issue as the rules are strict for who gets priority for IV treatment in the hospital. Our DHAD? partnership is an effort to skirt the gap that exists for people: Patients can book a consult quickly if they suspect they are deficient in iron. If they are, they can receive treatment right away.
Why did you partner with Mainline Wellness to make IV iron more accessible?
Dr. Gharbi: The System has dropped the ball with treating patients with iron deficiency. This is mainly an issue affecting younger and premenopausal female patients. Many of these patients don’t have family doctors; therefore, they don’t get the screening and preventative care they need. As a result, they often end up going to the emergency room for symptoms that are related to ID & IDA, and even there they don’t get the treatment they require. They get discharged having been told their heart is fine, their trouble breathing, and their palpitations are not anything serious, and they’re back to square one. They suffer for years complaining of fatigue, brain fog, and many other symptoms without getting the care they need.
Worse yet, even if patients are fortunate to access a family physic who diagnoses their iron deficiency, most family physicians across the country are not readily permitted to refer patients for iron infusions based on provincial and health authority rules, which often require a specialist to see the patient, which often only further delays treatment. On top of that, even when seeing a specialist, most can’t get iron infusions for their patients as access is restricted by region and often requiring hospital privileges, which has been a policy in Vancouver that has only made things worse for patients.
As a physician, how does it feel sending patients to Mainline?
Dr. Gharbi: The service at Mainline is incredible. For me it is peace of mind knowing that patients are in the care of Dr. Davidson, Dr. Kung and their team. Over my years of practice, I have received thank you notes from patients who have been treated with IV iron and are grateful to have their health back. The DHAD? partnership is an effort to create an efficiency for a treatment that changes lives.
If you think you may be a candidate for IV iron but don't have a GP or your care provider is not comfortable referring for IV iron, request a consult with an independent specialist from Well Health. Our new referral system will help you with the access you need.
How Does Mainline Wellness Fit In?
At Mainline Wellness, we are focused on improving the awareness and understanding of iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia in Canada to help more patients get the help they need – preoperative or otherwise.
We are committed to offering safe, timely, and accessible ER physician and nurse supervised iron infusions. Speak to your healthcare provider to see if iron infusions may be helpful for you. Treatment can begin within one week.