Critical Care

Yes, Alykhan. There is a Santa Claus

After reflecting on the state of health care in Canada, family physician Alykhan Abudulla begins to doubt the existence of Santa Claus. He writes to the editor in search of answers.

Holiday wishes for our beleaguered health-care system

Health-care workers and experts share their wishes for Canada's health-care system this holiday season.

Financial side-effects of treatment can be devastating in our ‘free’ health-care system

Health-care providers must also begin to take proactive steps to ensure that patients are not only aware of the medical side effects of their care and treatments, but the financial side effects, too.

Innovation challenge rewards ideas to ease workplace crisis

Desperate to retain health-care workers and reduce burnout, a non-profit health agency is offering monetary prizes for workers to come up with innovative ideas to ease the workplace crisis.

OurCare Manitoba: System is nearing collapse but we have faith it can be changed

The Manitoban primary care system is at risk. We cannot just stand to the side watching as issues mount. We need change now, while we can still turn things around. Here's how we fix it.

Turning back the tide: The challenge of antimicrobial resistance and its impact on our health

As antimicrobial stewardship clinicians, we implement system-level interventions and engage with prescribers to promote behaviour change in antimicrobial use. It's not too late to turn back the tide on antimicrobial resistance, but we must start now.

Episode 74 – Video Laryngoscopy for Intubation and Blood Pressure Management post-Endovascular Thrombectomy

Health-care lessons from the field: Think bottom-up and local, not sexy

An ER physician recalls how a junkyard of broken donated medical devices behind a Ugandan hospital illustrates a key issue in existing global health initiatives.

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.