Critical Care

Housing first: The case for social prescribing of housing in emergency departments

Providing permanent housing is not only something that can and has been realistically implemented for unhoused patients in emergency departments, it also has been shown to reduce ED visits and hospitalizations and produce health benefits.

Why not educate the person experiencing pain? Improving opioid prescribing for youth in hospital settings

Youth are rarely educated on safe and effective opioid use when they're discharged from hospital. A new set of educational materials made by Solutions for Kids in Pain is hoping to change that.

Safeguarding our children: Vaccination’s crucial role in navigating the coming school year

As we embark on the new school year, the lessons we have learned from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic serve as our compass, guiding us toward effective strategies while helping us discern the ones that fall short.

Lives are at stake: Why is injury prevention an underfunded public health concern?

If we are truly invested in improving the health and wellness of Canadians, we must dedicate more public health resources to preventing injury instead of responding to it after the fact.

Lung-cancer screening – primum non nocere (first, do no harm)!

Lung cancer is the number one global killer among cancers. Early detection can help patients' chance of survival but current screening measures also come with mixed benefits and risks.

Fiscal management and Minden’s unprecedented Emergency Department closure

The closure of the Minden ED has become a rallying point for us to address broader issues affecting health-care systems. Minden’s experience must serve as a nationwide warning: review the financial management and board governance of your local health-care systems.

If public health is not there to protect the vulnerable, then why bother?

Documents reveal that though the risks could not have been stated more clearly, in 2022 the Ford government ignored the evidence and lifted public health measures. This should worry all Ontarians.

Sometimes the truth is unbearable

The health-care system is failing Canadians with lethal consequences. Policymakers need to make urgent changes now to address delays in access to care.

We must overhaul how Ontario’s hospitals are governed. Our lives depend on it.

The Minden ED closure serves as a timely wake-up call on how our hospitals are governed. As citizens and stakeholders, it is our responsibility to demand better because our lives, and those of our fellow Canadians, depend on it.

How should we handle the toxic drug-supply crisis? Experts weigh in.

While political debates have muddied the water on effective policy options to address toxic drug deaths, we asked a panel of experts what they see as the best path forward to address the ongoing crisis.

Battles are won in the trenches: Front-line health professionals must have the power to adapt

Generals may lead wars, but battles are won in the trenches. Now, more than ever, this same doctrine must be applied to our medical professionals on the front lines.

What is the price of human life? Cutting off uninsured is ‘irresponsible’

We strongly recommend that the Ontario government reverse its decision to eliminate coverage for medically necessary services for uninsured individuals.

‘A huge benefit’: Advances in blood products may save lives in rural communities

Blood supplies in rural areas can be low, leaving trauma patients at risk. But innovations in freeze-dried plasma could help save lives.

Uninsured health cuts and pregnancy: Why all Canadians should care

Many of the funding cuts to the uninsured will impact pregnant people. These health cuts are costly - not just to the burdens of the health-care system, but to our sense of humanity and fundamental Canadian values.

Could Australia’s recent radiation scare happen in Canada?

The recent massive search in Western Australia for a highly radioactive ceramic disc that had fallen off a truck drew worldwide attention. Amazingly, the tiny capsule was found. But could a similar incident happen in Canada?

Delirium prevention: Up close and personal

Despite being the third most common cause of unintended harm as a result of medical treatment, delirium is still widely misunderstood. This is what the public, patients, and health-care workers all need to know about the condition.

What will happen to Ontario’s uninsured? Experts weigh in

Adding to the list of lifted pandemic policies, Ontario will no longer cover the cost hospital services and physicians fees for the previously uninsured. Without OHIP for these groups, what can we expect to see? Is this the right move? Experts weigh in.

Surviving cardiac arrest should not depend on luck

Surviving sudden cardiac arrest depends largely on luck – and it shouldn’t be this way. A scientist working at Queen’s University is focused on testing new strategies and technologies to reduce our dependence on chance.

Surviving sepsis: A life and career changing experience

Before my near-death experience, I had no idea what the word sepsis meant. And I certainly didn’t know what the long-term effects would be for my family and me.

Paying tribute to the good in our health-care system

There is immense work to be done in our fragile health-care system. But in honor of this World Health Worker Week, one patient living with bipolar disorder wants to pay tribute to all the goodness in health-care workers' hearts.