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Saying Goodbye on FaceTime

Nurses have been using platforms like FaceTime to host visits between patients critically ill with COVID-19 and their loved ones. It's contributing to burnout – but also sometimes providing them with beautiful moments of human connection.

Hero status putting strain on health-care workers

When the pandemic hit last year, doctors were hailed as heroes. But the hero-worship may be putting them at higher risk of moral injury – and its potential long-term, detrimental consequences.

‘Mindfulness’ for cancer patients: Has a popular trend gone too far?

In the rush to embrace mindfulness, cancer centres should be cautious and practice trauma-informed care.

Social media behaviour ‘a thermometer’ of mental health

As social media increasingly dominates day-to-day life, it’s not uncommon to see a sudden shift in a friend or family member’s online behaviour. The change in attitude may be an indicator of an emerging or reoccurring mental health issue.

‘Paradigm shift’ needed to deal with mental-health catastrophe

Provincial governments cover only half of treatments for mental-health conditions. It’s not that the public system can’t afford to cover such services. It’s that we can’t afford not to.

Patient Navigator: Hospital program aims to boost vaccination rate among health-care workers

Paul Taylor responds to people asking why hospitals aren't requiring health-care workers to get vaccinated – or get placed on unpaid leave.

YouTuber ViolinMD explains why she’s demystifying health care online

Siobhan Deshauer is a fourth-year rheumatology resident who makes videos about health care. We interviewed her about training to be a doctor, her channel, and more.

‘I need to do something about this’: Virtual care fills need in treatment of eating disorders

Many eating-disorder treatments were forced to move online during the pandemic. Service providers and participants say they're surprised by how successful virtual supports have been.

‘Hope is the biggest side effect’: Vaccinations spur emotional reactions from health-care providers

Health-care providers vaccinated against COVID-19 describe not just the physical side effects, mostly mild and short-lived, but also the emotional side effects: relief, excitement, and hope.

‘Hammie’ to the rescue: Imaginary friends helping children cope with isolation

There has been a rise in the prevalence of children inventing imaginary friends. Although such relationships may not match the real thing, they may be just what children need right now.

Beating the Pandemic Waiting Game

Many economists and psychologists study how to shorten perceived wait time. The end of the pandemic may come quicker if we use mental shortcuts to perceive time as moving faster.

Timeline to replace Quebec’s lead pipes puts children at risk, critics say

Quebecers have the country’s highest levels of lead in their blood, placing children at risk for having a reduced IQ. But replacing lead pipes is taking way too long, say aggrieved parents.

The next wave of COVID-19 vaccines: In through the nose

Currently, COVID-19 vaccines are injected into the muscles but many immunologists think a nasal vaccine may also be needed to end the pandemic.

‘Their lives are at risk’: Variants heighten concerns at meat plants

Canada's slaughterhouses have been the sites of large COVID-19 outbreaks. New safety protocols are not enough to keep workers out of harm’s way in the face of variants, advocates say.

Pandemic highlights need for psychiatric EDs

Canada is undergoing a mental health crisis exacerbated by COVID-19, but hospital emergency departments are not suited for mental health emergencies. We need psychiatric EDs.

We all need somewhere ‘to go’: Paucity of public washrooms is clogging up efforts to get outside and stay safe

During the pandemic, being physically active outside is crucial to staying healthy and safe. But how can we enjoy the outdoors without public washrooms?

Home and horny? Sex during a pandemic

As the social restrictions of COVID-19 have stalled many sex lives, they’ve also sparked a sexual revolution for others by encouraging conversations about sex and pleasure.  

Comparing vaccines: efficacy, safety and side effects

Do you have questions about vaccines in Canada? Epidemiologist Catharine Chambers compares the four vaccines now approved in Canada.

Patient Navigator: Will we need annual COVID-19 shots?

Will we need annual COVID-19 shots the way we need yearly flu shots? Paul Taylor explains what we do and don't know about how variants will affect vaccination efforts in the long term.

‘Do we have space to pump’: Another barrier for female physicians

More than half of Canada’s young doctors may be women, but our hospitals force breastfeeding physicians into shower stalls, bathrooms, hallways and makeshift lactation spaces.