Greater use could be made of nurse practitioners and physician assistants, including for relatively uncomplicated medical procedures
While health care is a dynamic service characterized by the continual introduction of new drugs and medical devices, physicians remain at the centre of health-care delivery. So it’s worth noting that Canada lags well behind almost all developed countries in the availability of physician services. Canada ranks 29th out of 33 high-income countries for the number…
There are concerns about fluoride’s effect on IQ. And the cost of fluoridation far exceeds its claimed benefit
By Dr. Bob Dickson and Dr. Hardy Limeback Contributors The fluoridation debate is still very much alive in Calgary, where pro-fluoridation advocates have had a field day, citing claims that seemingly support their position. Many of those claims are either misleading or completely incorrect. A recent letter in the Calgary Herald signed by 22 dentists,…
Why you should start talking early to your family and friends about your wishes, and some tools to help you get the conversation started
By Sharon Kaasalainen and Tamara Sussman EvidenceNetwork.ca Many people must make critical decisions for family and friends who are at the end of their lives. This can create a great deal of stress and burden. They must navigate the social and health-care systems while coping with their impending loss and grief. A large proportion of…
A new national program has pharmacists dispensing advice on how to curb harmful medications, particularly for seniors
By Phil Emberley and Wendy Levinson EvidenceNetwork.ca Pharmacists should be talking to patients about stopping or tapering dangerous medications, like benzodiazepines, to help curb long-term use and dependency. Sleep doesn’t come easy as we age. Take Ilsa, a 78-year-old recent widow. Since her husband passed away, she has slept poorly. A recent hospitalization and the disorienting…
The Change Day movement can inspire workers to question how they do things and encourage them to try something new
By Tanishq Suryavanshi and Michael K. Parvizian EvidenceNetwork.ca Over the past few months, patients and health-care providers have been encouraged to pledge to improve compassionate quality care in Ontario as part of a movement called Change Day Ontario. Nearly 6,000 voices have made pledges on the site and through social media. They range from the individual…
Health Canada’s revisions to the drug-pricing review board will delay or prevent access to new drugs
Everyone wants affordable medicines, but are Canadians prepared to accept the trade-off of even longer delays before we can access innovative drugs? Last May, then-federal health minister Jane Philpott announced proposed changes to the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMPRB) designed “to protect Canadians from excessive drug prices.” PMPRB is an independent federal organization that,…
Why is the Canada Revenue Agency denying the tax credit to those who need it most?
By Jennifer Zwicker and Stephanie Dunn EvidenceNetwork.ca “Providing benefits not burdens” is how former Health Minister Judy LaMarsh once described the vision for disability policy in Canada. Unfortunately, this vision is not a reality when it comes to one of the main benefits open to Canadians with disability: the federal disability tax credit (DTC). Administered…
Older Canadians say their top priorities are better co-ordinated care systems and more community and home-based supports
By Katherine McGilton and John Muscedere EvidenceNetwork.ca More than one million Canadians are medically frail – approximately 25 per cent of those are over age 65 and 50 per cent past age 85. The aging of Canadian society and the growing number of older adults living with frailty poses unprecedented societal and medical challenges that will…
Food banks remain a symptom of bigger problems – poverty and social inequality. We need systemic change to fix those bigger problems
We’ve just emerged from the season when everyone wants to help support their local food bank initiatives. But ‘sharing the season’ always poses a tough question for me: How do we help our neighbours when, according to Canada Without Poverty, there are 4.9 million neighbours to help? The number of Canadians in need only seems…
Why is Health Canada aiding a private company instead of safeguarding Canadian blood supplies?
As the snow falls and the mercury drops, Health Canada has found itself in some hot water. The trouble has been years in the making – since at least 2013. That’s when Canadian Plasma Resources (CPR), a profit-seeking company that pays individuals for their blood plasma, sought to open its first location. A recent media…
While health care is a dynamic service characterized by the continual introduction of new drugs and medical devices, physicians remain at the centre of health-care delivery. So it’s worth noting that Canada lags well behind almost all developed countries in the availability of physician services. Canada ranks 29th out of 33 high-income countries for the number…
