Evidence Based Medicine

The future of prescriptions: Pharmacogenomic testing on the verge of revolutionizing health care

With the growing trend of using genomic information to personalize care, is there a type of testing that can tell us whether medications we have been prescribed are actually working?

A plea to maskless health-care workers from vulnerable patients

Health-care workers have a responsibility to protect their vulnerable patients. Our lives are in your hands.

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.

The status quo is not acceptable. We need bold, transformative action to save our health-care system

We need health innovation that is informed by the knowledge skills that day-to-day frontline experience provides.

Are Canada’s clinical trials in need of reform? Experts weigh in.

Private companies in Canada are recruiting thousands of often financially desperate test subjects each year to participate in clinical trials. If we want to ensure safer studies for participants and improve critical research, what is the best way forward?

Hey Canada, let’s stop the homeopathy lie

As Alberta ponders whether or not to bring alternative medicine into the provincial health-care system, Timothy Caulfield has a few words to share on homeopathy.

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?”

We have lost our way in Ontario

Ontario's government has pursued a "populist" agenda, focusing on privatization, deregulation and profit-driven models. These have had devastating effects on health care and public safety.

What is ‘normal’? Lab-based inequity in hematology

Inappropriate reference ranges are a significant issue in various areas of medicine and perpetuate systemic racism.

Telegraph hit job a prime example of how not to report on drug policy

The Telegraph story depicts Vancouver's Downtown Eastside in a way that maximizes the harm done to their most vulnerable sources. But as journalists, we don't need to punch down to do our jobs.

Staying ahead of the curve – fentanyl, xylazine and the growing syndemic

Xylazine and other contaminants have made their way into the illicit drug supply complicating overdose response. We cannot afford to sit back and watch what happens.

It’s time to make compassion more relevant in our world

A generative compassion approach looks at the bigger picture and proactively asks the question: What more needs to be done to prevent more harm from occurring?

Vaping: A valuable harm reduction tool or a public health concern? Experts weigh in

What is Canada to do about e-cigarettes? Does vaping pose a legitimate public health threat or is it a far safer alternative for those who would otherwise be vulnerable to the known harms of cigarettes?

Fears of exposure to illicit drugs in public places based on politics, not facts

Health-care providers deserve to have a safe workplace, and this includes accurate information about their environmental risks. But the dangers of second-hand inhalation of illicit substances have been highly political rather than rooted in evidence.

‘Thank you for sharing. Do you have a plan?’ Outdated policies preventing peer supporters from saving lives

Peer supporters are ready and able to support people with experiences relating to death and dying – we just need organizational policies to get with the times.

‘These are absolutely the most vulnerable workers’: Charlotte, continuing care assistant, Saskatoon

Droplet or airborne? WHO says it’s ‘through the air’ 

The WHO is slowly moving forward on airborne transmission. But language changes seem forced, unnecessary and only seem to benefit those who were unable to use the word "airborne" early in the pandemic.

Episode 84 – Obstructive Sleep Apnea with Dr. Marcus Povitz

Patient partners add value to health research

Involving patients and caregivers in research can make research more relevant. So, how can patients and caregivers partner on a project?

Access to family doctor crucial step in weeding out fact from fiction

Everyone deserves access to accurate, evidence-based health information. A robust primary care system helps patients weed out fact from fiction, build trusting relationships with providers and ultimately live healthier lives.