Discussions

SMA president: Our future depends on what we do today
I really didn’t know how to start this letter. I am feeling such a mix of frustration, anger, sadness, fear and despair. Even though it seems like most everything we have advocated so far—as individuals, as groups of physicians, collectively as the SMA—appears to have fallen on deaf ears, we must not stop.
How I talk to patients requesting exemption letters
Dr. Adam Chen—who loves to find ways to simplify FPs workload—offers up his thoughts on how to handle patients requesting COVID vaccine and mask exemptions.

What I learned at my mother's knee before, during and after abortion reform

"There is no such thing as no abortion. There is only safe and unsafe abortion."
POLL: Do you want to sell at-home COVID tests in your pharmacy?

Pharmacies in other countries are selling them, but Canadians are having greater trouble getting their hands on at-home tests.
A scalp in room 11

The familiar ring tone of my cellphone interrupted a visit with friends on our cottage deck on a sun-drenched mid-September afternoon.
How to get Canada off the healthcare teeter-totter

Medicare does not struggle for lack of ideas or funding. It struggles from funding thrown at the same tired ideas rooted in similar political traditions.
How do you feel about COVID-19 booster shots in Canada?

The question of who needs a third shot of a COVID-19 vaccine has been a challenging topic for advisory groups. Take our weekly news poll and see what your colleagues say about this issue.
Who else – other than FPs – can they blame, Melissa?

Dr. Jabir Jassam was heavily moved by an item from Dr. Melissa Yuan-Innes titled: “Stop blaming family doctors.” Here is his response.
POLL: How are employer COVID testing requirements for the unvaccinated playing out in the pharmacy world?

Many workers who don't want to get vaccinated now much present evidence of periodic COVID-19 tests to their employers. How do pharmacists feel about this?
Lyme carditis: Things can get complicated when Lyme disease affects heart function

Approximately 5-to-10% of patients presenting to family doctors’ clinics or emergency departments with symptoms of Lyme disease may develop Lyme carditis.