Cultural Competence

Beyond the signature: Is consent truly informed?
In research and medical treatment, patients often are expected to make major decisions under time constraints when they are already distraught. Knowing this, it is the responsibility of healthcare practitioners, and the medical system itself, to ensure patients are prepared to make these decisions.
Tribunal sides with disabled woman denied ultrasound at Calgary clinic
Stephanie Chipeur complained to the Alberta Human Rights Tribunal after the Calgary diagnostics clinic refused to schedule her for an appointment in 2021 unless she had a caretaker also attend to lift her from her wheelchair onto an exam table.

‘Trust is gone’ after lengthy Canadian Hearing Services strike, some deaf clients say

In early June, Jessica Sergeant waited five and a half hours for a sign language interpreter to arrive at her Ottawa hospital room while she had a cardiac emergency.
The class that had nothing to do with pharmacy yet taught me everything

This essay from our 2025 Student Essay Contest winner Kimberly Molnar was an almost unanimous pick from our panel of judges. We know you'll enjoy it. Congratulations, Kimberly!
New toolkit helps doctors interact with patients with learning disabilities in the ER

The toolkit, developed by British emergency physician Dr. Liz Herrieven, includes tips on how to communicate properly with patients with learning disabilities or autism, as well as how to avoid missed or diagnoses in these patients.
From bartender to cardiologist: My husband’s journey

Pharmacist Cynthia Leung shares the story of how her husband—a licensed physician from Kurdistan—came to Canada as a refugee and pushed through many obstacles to go from pulling pints at a pub to a cardiology subspecialty program at Queen’s.
Alberta judge grants temporary injunction blocking a transgender healthcare bill

Justice Allison Kuntz, in a written judgment Friday, said the law raises serious Charter issues that need to be hashed out in court, and issued a temporary injunction against it before it fully came into effect.
Black Canadians have highest avoidable hospitalization rates: StatCan data

Other racialized people including South Asian, Chinese and Filipino Canadians had significantly lower rates.
Problem solved: How does an ER doc stop comments about looking too young for the job?

We asked, you answered: see how your physician colleagues recommend handling this awkward situation.
Federal Court approves Indian Hospitals class-action settlement

The federal government ran 33 such hospitals between 1936 and 1981.

Beyond the signature: Is consent truly informed?

Tribunal sides with disabled woman denied ultrasound at Calgary clinic

‘Trust is gone’ after lengthy Canadian Hearing Services strike, some deaf clients say

The class that had nothing to do with pharmacy yet taught me everything

New toolkit helps doctors interact with patients with learning disabilities in the ER

From bartender to cardiologist: My husband’s journey

Alberta judge grants temporary injunction blocking a transgender healthcare bill

Black Canadians have highest avoidable hospitalization rates: StatCan data

Problem solved: How does an ER doc stop comments about looking too young for the job?

Federal Court approves Indian Hospitals class-action settlement