ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR
- 7/21/2020
How new physicians can overcome the financial pinch from exam delays
Residents in their final year had prepared to write their certification exams[1] this spring. Then the pandemic struck. Now, with exams delayed until at least the fall, recent resident graduates are having to make some changes. In addition to having to adjust for the new exam timing and all that goes along with that, many are dealing with financial impacts as well. - 7/21/2020
Ford defends controversial emergency order law despite legislator's removal from caucus
Premier Doug Ford is defending a controversial new law granting his government powers to extend emergency orders despite recent opposition from within his own party. Ford ejected a member of the Progressive Conservative caucus—legislator Belinda Karahalios—Tuesday after she voted against the bill. - 7/20/2020
Ontario hospital union holds five minute protest to fight emergency orders
Front-line staff in Ontario hospitals held a five-minute, in-hospital protest on Tuesday as their union continues its fight against the proposed extension of the province's emergency orders. The Ontario Council of Hospital Unions, a division of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, said it does not want the province's emergency order extended in its current form because their collective bargaining agreement would be suspended. - 7/20/2020
Addiction and the pandemic
For most jurisdictions where they were legal, alcohol and marijuana were available at every stage of the pandemic. In North America, the shops selling marijuana and alcohol were deemed an “essential service” which meant that they were open throughout the pandemic, in the same way as grocery stores and pharmacies were open. - 7/20/2020
Alberta eye doctors ask to bypass AMA, negotiate directly with government
Suggest a change in legislation so they can opt out of AMA - 7/20/2020
Patients must be connected to doctors who know them best
During COVID-19, most doctors have set up virtual offerings for patients so we need to double down on our efforts to ensure continuity of care - 7/20/2020
N.S. health authority successfully recruiting IMGs despite pandemic
Katrina Philopoulos, the Nova Scotia Health Authority's director of physician recruitment, told the CBC the pandemic has caused delays bringing new doctors to the province. Indeed, in April the CBC reported that 13 doctors from the United Kingdom, South Africa and the United States that were due to start working in the province were held up at the border due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. But Philopoulos said since then four IMGs have been allowed in. - 7/20/2020
Families and the pandemic
- 7/20/2020
Researchers seek Canadian healthcare workers for study on moral distress during pandemic
A team from Lawson Health Research Institute is seeking 500 Canadian health care workers to participate in a study on moral distress and psychological wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants will complete online surveys once every three months for a total of 18 months. The goal is to better understand the pandemic’s impact on health care workers in order to minimize moral distress and support wellbeing during future pandemic events. - 7/19/2020
Diagnosing acute aortic syndrome: new guideline for hard-to-diagnose condition
A new guideline aimed at helping clinicians identify the difficult-to-diagnose acute aortic syndrome is published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). Acute aortic syndrome (AAS) is a life-threatening condition that underlies 1 in 2000 visits to the emergency department for severe chest or back pain. The rate of misdiagnosis is estimated to be as high as 38%, and the risk of death can increase 2% for every hour of delay in diagnosis.