Healthcare Delivery

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.

Mpox misinformation is costing lives

Without action, too many lives will be needlessly at risk. We must stand together, spread the truth and protect one another from this preventable disease.

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.

Patients with cognitive decline deserve more than just sympathy – they deserve action

Prioritizing Alzheimer’s care isn’t just a health issue; it’s a societal imperative informed by research. We must invest in early detection, expand access to innovative treatments and craft policies informed by patient experiences.

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?

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."

Essential exposure: The case for mandatory palliative care clinical rotations

Clinical exposure to palliative care is not afforded the attention it deserves in undergraduate medical curricula. To rob medical learners of such experiences is a travesty.

‘A plan to make a plan’: Experts speak out on B.C.’s involuntary care proposal

As B.C.'s provincial election looms near, Premier David Eby floats plans to expand involuntary care. Experts weigh in on the announcement.

A new voice for dementia advocacy

Dr. Saskia Sivananthan and Alexandra Whate discuss the formation of the Brainwell Institute and its mission to advocate for people living with dementia, their families and their care partners.

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?”

For Ontario to be truly ‘open for business’, we must fix the front door to health care

There is no question that health care’s front door is primary care; investing in fixing the door will allow Ontario to be truly open for business.

Protecting HCWs and patients: An essential duty health-care leaders are neglecting

It is beyond time for our health-care leaders to empower an objective review of our system’s handling of this deadly and disabling airborne pandemic. It’s their duty to ensure a safe environment for patients and workers alike.

Politics and vaccine misinformation: A horrifyingly bad mix

Antivaccine rhetoric and beliefs reside most often on the political right. It is essential we confront this reality and devise evidence-informed strategies to counter this trend constructively.

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

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

Public health and restoring the theatre experience

Cinephile and palliative care expert Darren Cargill examines whether a public health approach can quiet the boors during movie screenings or whether a more drastic approach is needed.

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?

Team Canada’s Alicia Souveny: Car crash survivor and blood donation advocate

Alicia Souveny lost her left leg in a car accident in 2019 and would have lost her life, too, had she not received enough blood in time from donors. She's now an ambassador for the Canadian Blood Services and a member of the national women's para-hockey team.

Ethical issues cloud online Ozempic prescription services

Patients with obesity are caught in the middle of two ethical issues rooted in weight bias – the reason the online services exist and the online services themselves.

The Big Data minefield as AI shapes the future of health care

Ongoing clinical feedback from everyday use of AI models forms the basis for AI’s self-learning and continuous improvement. Physicians will have to realize the agency – and the responsibility – they hold in interacting with this feedback loop.

Involuntary drug treatment: ‘Compassionate intervention’ or policy dead end?

Involuntary treatment for substance use is being proposed as a solution to the toxic drug supply crisis in provinces across the country. But do programs like this work?