We must protect the elderly as we move to virtual care
Innovation
Should biosimilar drugs be artificially promoted in Canada?
Medical conferences must face virtual reality
Rush to risky challenge trials is unethical
Why can’t you email your doctor?
Email may be the preferred communication method with clients in many industries, but many health care clinics are still relying on phone and fax to connect with patients. Only about 11% of Canadian primary care doctors communicate with their patients through email. In comparison, 35% of doctors email patients in the United States and United Kingdom, …
The rise of the private patient advocate
After bouncing around doctors’ offices in an effort to treat her debilitating back pain, Maureen had become discouraged with the lack of progress. She had seen multiple specialists yet nothing seemed to provide relief, and she began to feel disillusioned as she struggled to navigate the health care system. “I seemed to be spending a …
Cord blood banking in Canada
Minutes after giving birth, blood from the umbilical cord is collected and sent off to a central cord blood bank to be cryogenically frozen. Years later this cord blood could be used to cure some cancers and treat rare diseases. While to some this sounds like the stuff of science fiction, the use of cord …
Have investments in interprofessional education led to changes in practice?
As part of the 2003 Health Accord, the Federal Government made major investments in interprofessional education. This included contributing $28 million dollars to build training centres across Canadian colleges and universities. Investing in interprofessional education was motivated by the belief that changing the way health care professionals work together would be a key part of …
A request from Dr. Andreas Laupacis, Editor-in-Chief of Healthy Debate
Dear Healthy Debate community, Working on Healthy Debate for the last few years has been enormously rewarding for our whole team. We’ve been delighted with the response from our community, and even a little surprised by how much our readership has grown. Healthy Debate has gone through a lot of positive change lately. We’ve completely …
Which heart valve operations are covered in Canada?
The Personal Health Navigator is available to all Canadian patients. Questions about your doctor, hospital or how to navigate the health care system can be sent to AskLisa@Sunnybrook.ca The Question: Does OHIP cover all of the costs associated with valve replacement surgery? The Answer: The short answer is yes, the Ontario Health Insurance Plan does cover the cost …
Health Links: Ontario’s bid to provide more efficient and effective care for its sickest citizens
Ontario’s Health Links initiative is a “big manoeuvre” in a complex provincial system, acknowledges Helen Angus, associate deputy minister with the transformation secretariat of the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care (MOHLTC). The initiative aims to facilitate coordination of care at a local level for high needs patients. It comes in the wake of …
Hospitals begin to recognize social media’s potential to improve patient experience
“In Canada in health care we’re at a point where most hospitals accept the role of social media for branding and communication, but only the lead adopters are using it for patient engagement and for clinical use.” – Ann Fuller, public relations director, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) Call up the website home …
What cancer patients need to know about clinical trials
The Personal Health Navigator is available to all Canadian patients. Questions about your doctor, hospital or how to navigate the health care system can be sent to AskLisa@Sunnybrook.ca The Question: I have run out of conventional medical treatments for my cancer, which has metastasized. How do I join a clinical trial? How do I increase my chances …
Oakville clinic sets an example for quality and accountability in primary care
Primary care is the foundation of Ontario’s health care system and more than 137,000 patient care visits are made every day to primary care providers – family physicians, general practitioners and nurse practitioners – in the province. However the quality of care that patients receive in primary care is largely unknown. Even primary care providers …
E-consultations promise better communication for doctors and shorter waits, less travel for patients
An Ottawa area pilot project that facilitates electronic consultations between family physicians and specialists has proved so popular among doctors and administrators that its architects are finding ways to make it permanent. These consultations occur before an actual referral to a specialist is considered by the family doctor. “Doing referrals as a family doctor is one …
Patient-oriented research in Canada: what progress has been made?
The governments of Canada and the United States have patient-oriented research initiatives underway, which share the goals of supporting research that will improve health care systems and directly benefit patients. However, the mandate, structure and funding of these initiatives differ significantly, with the United States accomplishing a great deal in a relatively short period of …
Should hospitals post emergency department waits online?
A number of Canadian hospitals have started publishing live emergency department wait times online in an effort to provide patients with expectations on how long they will have to wait to be seen for non-urgent issues. These efforts are all innovative pilot projects, but there is little evidence available on whether this information makes any …
Is Ontario health care ready for ePatients?
In the internet age there is an unprecedented amount of information available to anyone with access to the web. In health care, this is slowly shifting power dynamics, with patients taking increased responsibility and ownership of their health. What needs to be done so a health care system built in the 20th century can address …
Does evidence support expanding telehomecare in Ontario?
Telehomecare programs offer remote monitoring for people living with chronic diseases, linking patients to providers without requiring an in-person visit. Ontario is currently developing a number of large-scale telehomecare programs with the promise that they are patient centred, cost effective approaches to care. While there is great enthusiasm for telehomecare programs from patients, providers and …
Innovative medical education in Northern Ontario
The Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) has developed a model of medical education to address the needs of people living in northern Ontario. NOSM was founded in 2005 with mandate of social accountability to the communities of the region. As the first NOSM graduates begin to enter practice, there are hopes that this school …