Research on human subjects is essential to the advancement of patient care. Every life-saving drug, surgical technique and medical procedure was tested at some point in its development on humans. While research on humans has yielded enormous benefits, it can also carry risks to research participants. It is therefore essential to ensure research is carried …
There is little doubt that system transformation is necessary to achieve sustainable and high-quality health care for Canadians. In recent years, the care and management of high users (HU) of health care has emerged as a focal point for developing a sustainable health care system. Despite the focus on this group, one question has received …
We know that social environment plays a large role in shaping people’s health. Determinants like poverty and housing have recently received much deserved attention. The recent report by Canadian Medical Association, What Makes us Sick?, for example, identifies poverty as the leading cause of poor health outcomes and health inequity among Canadians. But poverty, housing …
One of the priorities of the Ontario government is to develop strategies to reduce the disproportionate amount of health system use, and in particular of acute hospital care, by small sub-groups of people, such as seniors, those with complex chronic health issues or people whose health is complicated by mental health or substance use issues. …
At a national health policy conference recently, Ontario’s Health Minister Deb Matthews made a few notable comments. Among them was a request that policy experts applaud government officials when they do the right thing. Too often, good healthcare policy gets blocked by a very vocal minority of stakeholders. Minister Matthews also said that expanding prescription …
Last month, after the publication of an open letter by a large group of health professional organizations and health care advocates, former Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq re-opened consultation on the contentious issue of whether Health Canada should approve clinics where people can sell their plasma to a for-profit corporation. Canadian Doctors for Medicare – the …
Katie’s story Three years ago, Katie (name and some details changed to protect her identity) was in a car accident on a rural road two hours outside of an urban centre. Her ankle was crushed in the accident, and after a delay of several hours due to weather, she was air-lifted to the nearest trauma …
My partner Bill and I have a soft spot for animals. It is one of the most important values I have learned from Bill. Traveling to London from our farm we happened on a kitten sitting in the middle of the road. She was sick, blind, desperately thin, and only two or three weeks old …
In late March, Alberta Health Services (AHS) discontinued maternity services in Banff’s Mountain Springs Hospital. This decision fell out of a regional planning process. It resulted in public outcry, demonstrations, media attention and a pending judicial challenge; it prompted both a Healthy Debate article and webchat. The economic impact of this decision on the AHS …
On June 6, the federal government introduced Bill C-65 entitled the “Respect for Communities Act” which sets out in legislation the requirements for operating supervised injection sites. Such sites are facilities where individuals can consume illicitly obtained drugs under supervision from a health professional and without being prosecuted. There is currently only one supervised injection …
Summertime for many university students, reeling from aftermaths of their exams, may mean relaxing on the beach with friends. However, for many eager and forward-looking students, it is an opportunity to gain experience: international experience. Today, one can hardly walk through a university campus without noticing posters taped to lamp posts or bulletin boards with …
Across Ontario, going to the dentist is financially out of reach for many people. This dilemma is well-known to physicians — many of us regularly care for patients who have terrible dental problems that we are powerless to address.
“We have a large immigrant population, and people sometimes have no English. This program has been a godsend.” –- Winnipeg pediatrician Stan Lipnowski Obtaining a good history is the most important thing in practising medicine, so being able to get that history about the children of new immigrants has made a “humungous difference”, says Stan …
Canada is the only country in the world that provides universal public insurance for medical and hospital care but not for prescription drugs. Is this a desirable divide in health policy or a failing of our health care system? If the latter, what would our system ideally look like? In an effort to answer this …
What do you do as a healthcare provider when you know your patient can’t afford the medicines you are prescribing? In the era of evidence-based medicine, a greater focus has been placed on ensuring that patients are prescribed the most effective treatments, but rarely do we discuss what happens when a prescription leaves the physician’s …
This past October, I met a bright and engaging man who had suffered a stroke. Luckily, a family member of his had recognized the symptoms he was having and brought him to the hospital. Unfortunately, the stroke had left him unable to use the left side of his body and, as a result, he required …
Psychiatric medications are valuable tools for treating many mental illnesses. Some psychiatric conditions, such as schizophrenia, can only be effectively treated with medication. However, pharmaceuticals have become the default treatment for all mental illnesses in Canada, even when the evidence suggests that medications are not effective for all of the conditions for which they are …
Sayid is a 65 year old South Asian man from Toronto. He has schizophrenia, but with the proper medications and supports, his illness is well controlled, allowing him to work full-time in a manufacturing job. For years, like many of Toronto’s working poor, he lived paycheque to paycheque. When his company underwent downsizing, Sayid lost …
It’s a sad day for refugees looking to Canada for protection. Today, Jason Kenney and the Conservative government announced a controversial list of countries that will determine who does and does not get access to healthcare in this country. This ‘Designated Countries of Origin‘ or so-called ‘safe countries’ list singles out refugee claimants from certain countries fast-tracking …
There is a major gap between public health messages, women’s intentions and actual practices when it comes to breastfeeding. I’ve experienced this first hand as a new mother. The major topic of conversation amongst new mothers tends to center around breastfeeding and ensuring that our babies’ needs are being met. Whether your baby is getting …