Emergency Care

Patients, not politicians, decide what is an emergency

Ontario Premier Doug Ford made reckless statements on Oct. 25 that we as emergency physicians must correct. Patients decide what is a medical emergency. We trust our patients to make that decision.

I’m an emergency department doctor. It’s not all bad.

"Beyond the nihilistic headlines, much good can go unnoticed. A more fulsome reality is that there are successes leading to healthier and longer lives – even in my chaotic specialty."

Tackling the sepsis ‘beast’: New treatment aims to save lives

Researchers have developed a new treatment to block inflammation, supercharge the white blood cells’ ability to kill bacteria, and protect against heart and lung failure.

Out of sight, out of mind? What the experts say we need to know about COVID-19 as we head indoors

Though we are not “post-COVID,” some say we are “post-crisis.” But the question remains: “What should we be doing about COVID now?”

Come for the black bears and huskies. Stay to ‘transform how we deliver health care’

"Self-determination doesn't happen when all of your clinicians are flying up from the south, working for a week and then flying home.” Medical resident Maria Raveendran writes on her experience working in the remote northern Ontario community of Moose Factory Island.

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.

‘I unapologetically choose love’: A queer Ethiopian-Jewish woman’s view of the Israeli-Gaza conflict

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is undoubtedly complex, but the path forward is not as convoluted as it may seem. The solution is simple (perhaps too simple for those in power who aim to confuse us): Stop killing children and lead with love for children while upholding their rights under international law.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Connecting the dots: Standardizing EMR data essential to improving care, easing burnout

The developers and engineers at eHealth are aiming to ensure that as patients move through the health-care system, their information follows them. But there are still obstacles to the development of effective electronic medical records (EMRs).

Ontario taxpayers bearing the burden of ‘OHIP for all’ policy

Ten days into the COVID-19 pandemic, Ontario's public health insurance policy was expanded to include all uninsured patients, like temporary workers and tourists. But more sustainable solutions are needed in place of “OHIP for All.”

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.

An Excerpt from Death Interrupted

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

Omicron and medical conferences – a balancing of risks

Large, in-person medical conferences can be risky in the Omicron era. Yet, proponents say these risks can be mitigated, and resuming in-person learning and networking are necessary to advance medicine and support a profession at its breaking point.

Deadly cracks in a broken mental-health system

While struggling with any illness, it is reassuring to feel that there is a place to go for help if things deteriorate beyond your ability to handle it. This is a sense of comfort I have lost. I have been forced to face the reality of what the emergency department can provide for mental health crises – not a lot. But there's more we could do.

In support of addiction and mental health patients in emergency departments

If our health-care system claims to be equitable and considerate of patients with addiction and mental-health concerns, it has to resolve the issue of boarded mental-health patients in emergency departments, which can lead to higher overall wait times for emergency care.