Technology and Innovation

Beating the administrative burden: How digital health tools can save family medicine

By embracing digital health tools and continuous learning, we can reduce unnecessary administrative burdens and focus on what truly matters: providing excellent patient care.

A publicly funded virtual care system would benefit us all

Virtual care and nurse practitioner care are here to stay; let’s publicly fund this care so that it’s accessible to all Canadians.

Canadians deserve potentially life-saving early warning health-care AI

AI technology threatens to disenfranchise the labour force, further concentrate power and wealth and even destabilize democracy. But it's not all bad news. CHARTWatch shows how AI could be used to save lives rather than destroy them.

National Survey of Canadian Physicians reveals urgent need for digital health upgrades

We desperately need to reimagine and improve our health-care system. Clinicians know that digital health tools can be part of the solution.

Cybersecurity attacks highlight the need for patients to keep their medication records accessible

Cyberattacks can be alarming, especially when they affect health-care access. By creating a personal medication record, patients will find themselves empowered with the ownership of their information for the moments they need it most.

We need to keep talking about public and private health care

"We are in a watershed moment for our health-care system — this is just the beginning, let’s continue talking about the health care we all want."

Private equity and health care: Should Canadians be concerned?

As Canadians, we should be asking questions about why private equity investment firms are so interested in owning parts of our health-care system.

Trust and risk resilience in the age of AI

Artificial intelligence is pushing boundaries of what we thought possible. For organizations that use it, AI also ushers in a new dimension of reputational risk.

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?

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.

Artificially Wise: Can AI truly make smart clinical decisions?

Much ink has been spilled on the self-learning capabilities of AI. Not much has yet been said on physicians’ learning gap on AI in health care.

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.

Legally Blind

AI can be an incredibly useful tool for physicians. But while the myriad benefits are dizzying, there are few infrastructural supports at present to guide physicians through uncharted territory.

Childbirth PTSD is all too common. AI may help remove stigma and improve care

Listening to patient voices is crucial, but physicians can sometimes overlook details that could lead to an important diagnosis. AI can help.

AI stethoscope demonstrates ‘the power as well as the risk’ of emerging technology

Stethoscopes join the growing number of AI health-care applications promising improved diagnostic performance. But this new technology still comes with certain risks.

How to make the most of your virtual mental health care appointment

With profound shifts in how mental health care is delivered, and a clear interest in the continued use of virtual care, a few simple recommendations can help everyone have a better experience in our “new normal.”

Simple finger-prick blood test could help women with debilitating condition

A Canadian company is working to perfect a simple, finger-prick blood test that would revolutionize the diagnosis of endometriosis.

Setting the record straight: Medical experts debunk the biggest myths in their field

These days, it's hard to know what to believe. We polled a panel of health experts on the most pervasive misinformation in their specialty and asked them to set the record straight.

The Discount Code Doctor is in

There are different ways doctors use social media, all of which hinge on the authority that a medical degree provides. But the rise of the physician influencer begs the question: How should doctors present themselves online?

Dr. AI & Me

AI is here to stay. But with its rapidly evolving nature, could it eventually replace real-life physicians?