Jeff Powis

Contributor

Jeff Powis is an infectious disease specialist at Michael Garron Hospital in Toronto.

3382 Contributions
by Michelle Cohen

‘Violating Nature’s Health Laws’: How an eccentric early 20th century influencer set the stage for the COVID infodemic

Recognizing historical influences is just the start of tackling the social underpinnings of the infodemic. We must shed the legacy of the idea that a sick person ‘deserved it as a penalty for violating Nature’s health laws.

by Noah Ivers

Will we sacrifice primary care at the altar of pandemic recovery?

The word trade-off indicates we gain in some areas while sacrificing in others. But in primary care, it feels like we are sacrificing quality, cost and time. We have two options now: Fix primary care or keep making trade-offs we shouldn’t have to.

by Catherine Varner

Exodus in health care begs the question: ‘What will make you stay?’

When we don’t acknowledge or commemorate the quiet departures of our coworkers, it leaves those of us who remain unsettled and asking, ‘why stay?’ if it is barely noticed when someone leaves.

by Tara Kiran Tara Kiran

Join the conversation and help shape the future of family medicine

We know the family doctor shortage is a problem that's only going to get worse. But there's one solution that comes up time and again: We need to expand interprofessional teams.

by Blair Bigham

An Excerpt from Death Interrupted

Chapter 5 of Death Interrupted: "Declaring Death: Who Decides When the End Has Arrived?"

by Maddi Dellplain ... ...

Interview with the author: Blair Bigham

Healthy Debate sat down with Dr. Blair Bigham to talk about his experience writing Death Interrupted.

by Milena Forte

Designing virtual and physical clinical spaces to build trust

The clinical spaces that surround us are not passive; they can enhance or hinder our effectiveness as health-care providers. Research has shown the built environment can affect a number of outcomes for patients as well as improve workplace safety and satisfaction for providers.

by The Disability and Reproductive Health During COVID-19 Study Team

Disability and reproductive health: Examining the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

To better understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the reproductive health of women, trans and non-binary people with disabilities, researchers at the University of Toronto partnered with the DisAbled Women’s Network (DAWN) of Canada to conduct the ongoing Disability and Reproductive Health during COVID-19 Study.

by Suzanne Shoush

On this Orange Shirt Day: What has changed?

Today marks our second National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. It has been two years since the death of Joyce Echaquan; 16 months since the Tk’emlups te Secwepemc community confirmed long-held knowledge that hundreds of little children were buried in unmarked graves on the grounds. Since then, the haunting reality of more than a thousand additional radar “pings,” with each ping confirming the body of a little child lying in an unmarked grave, on the very grounds of the school they were forced to attend. So much has happened . . . but what has changed?

by Julia Kontak Sara Kirk

Youth engagement essential for healthy school environments

Despite the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Children, in Canada and across the globe children and youth too often do not have their voices heard, or their perspectives adequately considered. Issues related to child and youth health are no exception.

by Tara Kiran Tara Kiran

Take the survey: What are your priorities for primary care?

What trade-offs are acceptable to you? Do you currently have a family doctor or nurse practitioner? How important is it that every person living in Canada has a relationship with a family doctor? These are some of the questions we ask in the OurCare/NosSoins nation-wide survey.

by Maddi Dellplain ... ...

Move to generic methadone raises concerns

Ontario’s move away from brand name Methadose has sparked concerns the switch could negatively impact those who rely on the drug, prompting calls for more buy-in from methadone users ahead of these changes.

by Robert Sibbald

More Beds, Better Care Act: Ethical controversy or a better use of public money?

The More Beds, Better Care Act shouldn't be considered controversial. Is it going to make a significant dent in our ALC numbers? Probably not. But that isn’t because the concept of quickly moving patients out of situations whose resources are misaligned to patient need is a bad – or unethical – idea.

by Alykhan Abdulla

The need for family medicine

This optimistic article looks at the exceptional nature of family medicine based on these key words: longitudinal; relationship- and patient-focused; and comprehensive. They are foundational to supporting and serving everyone equitably.

by Anjali Bhayana

Malnourishment by design

Colonial attitudes and policies, now recognized as powerful social determinants of health, have led to mass hunger and preventable diseases.

by Maddi Dellplain ... ...

Cross-country project gives patients a say in solving primary-care crisis

Dr. Tara Kiran and a team of collaborators are launching OurCare, a three-phase research project that aims to provide much-needed answers to Canada’s primary care woes. The project kicks off with a national survey of patients' experience.

by Joe Vipond Jane E. McArthur

Toxic tradeoff: Disinfectants are ineffective for COVID-19 prevention and create harmful exposures

There are countless benefits to improving indoor air quality, not least of which is reducing the spread of this virus that has altered our lives. But cleaning surfaces with disinfectants could be doing more harm than good.

by Siri Chunduri Jonathan I. Mitchell Kam Tello Samuel Breau Nicholas Watters Karina Urdaneta

The urgent need for mental health-care supports

By age 40, half of all Canadians will experience mental health issues. Implementing the “quality mental health care framework” would go a long way to providing much-needed care.

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