Cystic Fibrosis Outpatient Clinic

The clinic is located on the 6th floor of the Donnelly Wing in the hospital.

CF clinics happen on Tuesdays, Wednesday, and Fridays with more than 40 outpatients seen in these 3 clinics each week. The clinic you’ll attend depends on a variety of factors, outlined in this section.

The outpatient clinics run throughout the year with the exception of two weeks over the December holiday period. The clinic that you attend will depend on several factors, including the type of bacteria you grow or have grown in your sputum as well as the type of clinic that you need to attend (for example, regular clinic visit vs. patients actively on home intravenous therapy vs. patients who need to be seen by the CF Gastroenterologist). Tuesday clinics typically run all day and are reserved for patients who have never grown Burkholderia species bacteria in their sputum. Wednesday clinic is scheduled in the morning and is reserved for patients receiving home intravenous antibiotic treatment for a chest infection. Friday morning clinic is typically for people who have grown Burkholderia species bacteria in their sputum. The Friday clinic is further divided to accommodate people growing different strains of Burkholderia species. Friday afternoon CF Gastroenterology clinics occur monthly for those people that have bowel problems.

The booking office will let you know which day you are expected to attend based on infection control restrictions.

If you are unsure as to which clinic you should attend please ask your CF doctor or nurse.

Virtual CF Care

Although in the past we provided “virtual” care specifically using telemedicine, the pandemic has forced the health care system to quickly pivot in order to provide additional forms of virtual care. This aligns with our goal to protect our patients from infection, to increase the care that we provide and to ease the travel burden and lost time for people living with CF.

Telemedicine is a technology that allows people living outside of large cities to be seen more frequently and will help lead to improved care. It allows for interactive “face-to-face” communication through video conferencing equipment at a telemedicine studio that is close to your home.

We use telemedicine to bridge the gap between clinic visits 1-2 times per year as needed for those patients that live outside of the GTA. However, we feel that is it very important to have a yearly in-person visit in Toronto, if at all possible. This will allow patients to access the expertise of the entire multidisciplinary CF team at St. Michael’s which is critical to optimize CF health.

In addition to doctor visits, other opportunities exist via telemedicine to take part in educational sessions with other members of the CF team. These include topics such as diabetes management, nutrition, physiotherapy and exercise, reproduction and fertility, psychosocial concerns, and many other pertinent topics.

If you have any questions regarding the telemedicine program or wish to take part please contact the CF clinic in Toronto to arrange an appointment.

The pandemic has forced us all to learn how to navigate Zoom! The hospital has provided the medical health team with a secure, protected zoom account that allows patients to be seen virtually. This can take place over a computer, with or without video capabilities, or over a phone. If a Zoom virtual visit is arranged, the patient will be sent a Zoom link with the information needed to connect to the CF medical team at a specific date and time. Although not mandatory, having video capabilities provides the advantage of being able to see patients which facilitates a more comprehensive medical evaluation.

Another option is the simply having a virtual visit over the phone (cell phone or land line). If a phone visit is arranged, the CF physician will call you at a pre-specified time (give or take 30 minutes) in order to have your virtual visit.

Booking Outpatient Clinic Appointments

It is very important that you book an appointment whenever possible so we can plan ahead for your clinic appointment. We ask that you arrive to your appointment on time so that the clinic does not become back-logged. This is especially important for infection control reasons.

There are several ways to book your clinic appointments. You can book your appointment

  1. in person at the end of your usual clinic appointment
  2. by calling the booking office at 416-864-5409 or
  3. by e-mailing CFClinic.Bookings@unityhealth.to. It is generally easier and faster to book via email. If you do not hear back confirming your appointment, you may not have an appointment, so please check back with the CF office to confirm.

If you are unable to attend your appointment, please contact the CF office (416-864-5409) or email CFClinic.Bookings@unityhealth.to to inform us that you are not coming.

How do I see my lab results?

MyChart is a secure, online portal that shows patients their own hospital records. It was developed at Sunnybrook Hospital and is now used in hospitals across Canada.

Depending on your Unity Health location, MyChart can show you your:

  • Lab results (e.g. blood tests)
  • Medical imaging text reports (e.g. summaries of x-rays and ultrasounds)
  • Results from your sleep studies
  • Results from selected cardio-respiratory and neurological tests
  • Clinical notes including discharge summaries (from participating clinical areas)
  • Medication list at discharge
  • Upcoming view only appointments for certain clinics

Note: Up to 15 days delays in receiving the reports in MyChart may apply to certain results/reports.

Click here to register.