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.
My job gives me an interesting perspective. The simplest lesson I have learned is this: At the end of life, it is not what we have done that we remember most, but it is the things we did not do that we regret.
The MCCQE II, a Medical Council of Canada licensing exam, is considered by some critics to be an outdated and unnecessary burden. Temporarily paused by the pandemic, the MCC will soon decide whether and how the exam will return - and what role it will play in the changing world of medical education.
There is stigma surrounding the illness that nearly took my life and it will be hard for people to look beyond my past. But we will never break the stigma by continuing to give into it in remaining silent.
In a multicultural city like Toronto, it only makes ethical and financial sense to provide language-sensitive care in hospitals. Without it, culturally sensitive communication is incomplete.
Panels have been stuck. Articles and reports have been written. But Canadians will have to stay informed and involved if we want to improve our health-care system.
Vaccination records in Canada have long been fragmented and decentralized, dragging the country's pandemic response capabilities with it. The digital immunization records sharing app, CANImmunize, takes a stab at filling these vital gaps in Canada's health data infrastructure.
Overdiagnosis is a problem that's been recognized for decades, but in the last 10 years research has proven that early detection does not always mean better outcomes. Overdiagnosis can sometimes cause physical, psychological or financial harm. But there are things that both physicians and patients can do to help prevent it.
Large, in-person medical conferences can be risky in the Omicron era. Yet, proponents say these risks can be mitigated, and resuming in-person learning and networking are necessary to advance medicine and support a profession at its breaking point.
This year, the Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS) with the support of Dalhousie University, rolled out its pilot questionnaire to collect much-needed demographic data on residency placements across the country. Information gathered on race and Indigeneity, immigration, ability, gender, sexual orientation and household income of students could go a long way in ensuring equity among med students.
The Patient's Medical Home is a vision for the future of family practice in Canada: One that focuses on comprehensive, coordinated, and continuing care for populations through a family physician working with health care teams.
Can patients who deny the existence or nature of COVID have the capacity to consent to the treatment of COVID-19? The answer could determine who will decide what happens to a patient.
As a provincial election nears in Ontario, the Ontario Medical Students Association joins advocates across the province calling for a comprehensive paid sick-days program that supports all workers.
The public health order to “stay home when sick” without 10 paid sick days was impossible for countless workers. Precarious workers who perform essential, yet low-paying jobs shared the greatest burden of the pandemic. Now is the time for the government to act.
While struggling with any illness, it is reassuring to feel that there is a place to go for help if things deteriorate beyond your ability to handle it. This is a sense of comfort I have lost. I have been forced to face the reality of what the emergency department can provide for mental health crises – not a lot. But there's more we could do.
If our health-care system claims to be equitable and considerate of patients with addiction and mental-health concerns, it has to resolve the issue of boarded mental-health patients in emergency departments, which can lead to higher overall wait times for emergency care.
Long COVID symptoms now dominate my life, hopes and dreams. As soon as I realized that I wasn’t getting better after my COVID infection, I went looking for answers.