Janet Kushner-Kow

Contributor

Dr. Janet Kushner-Kow is the physician program director of elder care at Providence Health Care and division head of geriatric medicine at the University of British Columbia.

3273 Contributions
by Vivek Govardhanam

International fellows in the shadows: The other side of post-graduate medical education

International clinical fellows have been the unsung heroes throughout the pandemic. Yet, we still haven’t been able to guarantee some of the basic workplace provisions for them that their Canadian colleagues take for granted.

by Anthony Fong

‘Medical gaslighting’ harming long-COVID patients

Despite the reality of their debilitating physical symptoms, Long-COVID patients have been frequently misdiagnosed with a psychiatric conditions - a form of "medical gaslighting" at the hands of their physicians.

by Paula James

Let’s Talk Period: Caring for women with bleeding disorders

We need to understand how to care for women with bleeding disorders – the red-flag symptoms, and the barriers women face in getting an accurate and timely diagnosis.

by Jeffrey Mo

A pandemic silver lining? Research shows drop in bullying in school and online

The COVID-19 pandemic may have shut down schools but, as new research shows, it also shut down both in-person and online bullying. And bullies are still lying low. But why hasn’t bullying returned since students have gone back to school?

by Ritika Goel

New PSA has potential, but devil is in the capitation details

The new Physician Services Agreement adds a complexity modifier to capitation-based primary care models in Ontario, which could be an important step toward equity. Done right, it could incentivize physicians to serve those who most need care and address ongoing health gaps. But the devil is in the details.

by Darren Cargill

Tapping into the power of hope

Learning about a patient’s hopes can create an opportunity for both special intervention and improve goals of care conversations and assist doctors in crafting a care plan that will optimize the chances of these dreams coming true. The Oneday Dreams charity offers the hope for better quality of life to patients with terminal illness.

by Maddi Dellplain ... ...

Provinces have charted their own paths, but should all adults in Canada have access to second boosters of the COVID-19 vaccine?

Canadian provinces and territories have gone their own ways on the advisability and availability of fourth COVID-19 vaccine doses. But should the general population be eligible for a fourth dose at this time? Or are we better off waiting? We asked a group of experts to weigh in.

by Natasha Correa Samira Jeimy

‘There aren’t many options for people like me’: A Q&A on living with food allergies

Rates of food allergy have increased in recent decades. 9 per cent of Canadians now report having a food allergy.

by Jeffrey Mo

Hunt is on for helium; rising cost has some hospitals turning to new MRI models

The rising costs and difficulty of sourcing helium, partly because of the war in Ukraine, have led to the development of new MRI machines that use significantly less helium.

by Justine Baek

Re-evaluating visitor restrictions

While visitor policies have undoubtedly helped prevent COVID transmission in hospitals, as we move away from a crisis response to COVID-19, caregivers and families may once again be able to support patients alongside their health-care teams.

by Stephanie Keeling

Clinical trial disruptions in Ukraine a little-known consequence of war

The Russian invasion has upended hundreds of clinical trials and interrupted the delivery of life-saving treatments, with devastating consequences for both Ukrainians and Russians.

by Catherine Varner

Let’s not be smug: Canada has much work to do in caring for pregnant women

At a time when there is impetus to preserve reproductive rights globally, in Canada there must be an emphasis on patient-centred approaches to education, policies and models of care for miscarriage - the most frequent complication of early pregnancy.

by Winnie Tsang

Togethering – An array of flexible housing options

The latest in the Togethering series looks at the spectrum of common housing options available to seniors and provides a roadmap for conversations with the elders in your life.

by Darren Cargill

Palliative care (still) in need of better PR and a new spokesperson

Palliative care has an image problem. We need to find someone who can get the message across to the thousands of Canadians who could benefit from a palliative approach to care and those who care for them.

by Sabina Vohra-Miller

What we can learn from the evolution of guidance during the COVID-19 pandemic

The only absolute in science is that there are no absolutes. Throughout the pandemic, recommendations have changed based on new data. For the public, this may come across as flip-flopping, but in actuality, it is simply that we are making the best decisions possible in the current context.

by Graham Dickson

How to deal with ‘wicked problems’

This month’s Top Three focuses on the "wicked problems" spurred on by the network of health and social issues created by the pandemic. Addressing these issues will require leadership focused on solutions through a systems-based lens.

by Erin Ariss

Ontario’s health-care system is failing women. Will the Ford government step up?

If we want to ensure an equitable Ontario, we need a government that recognizes the contributions of the many women workers providing health-care services to the people who live and work here.

by Michelle Cohen

Gender segregation, pay inequity. Understanding the ‘pink-collar’ tier in medicine

Understanding the history of health care’s gender segregation, the basis for today’s “pink collar” tier of female-dominated specialties, could help current efforts to improve pay equity in medicine.

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