April

If you look at where Canada ranks on a 2015 report from the Commonwealth Fund, you’ll find us disconcertingly at the bottom when ranked on matters of access to care, quality of care, and patient safety. You may find this perplexing considering how hard you work each day and how committed you are to the care of your patients. You’ll also find that over half of Canadians feel our health care system needs fundamental change. I fully agree.

Researchers from McGill University and Health Canada have found that air pollution from wood burning is linked to increased risk of heart attacks in seniors.

People who boost their vitamin D levels with supplements reduce their risk of respiratory tract infections, such as the flu, by up to 12%, according to a new systematic review and meta-analysis study of 25 randomized controlled trial (RCT) studies published in The BMJ.

UBC researchers have developed a magnetic drug implant that could offer an alternative for patients struggling with numerous pills or intravenous injections. The device is a silicone sponge with magnetic carbonyl iron particles wrapped in a round polymer layer, and measures 6 mm in diameter. The drug is injected into the device and then surgically implanted in the area being treated. Passing a magnet over the patient’s skin activates the device by deforming the sponge and triggering the release of the drug into surrounding tissue through a tiny opening.

Thirteen national and provincial health care organizations have come together in the CanMEDS Consortium to carry out the CanMEDS Framework across the continuum of Canadian doctors’ education and careers.

Represented by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, the College of Family Physicians of Canada, and the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada, the consortium’s mandate is to improve patient care by using a consistent model to educate doctors in training and evaluate those in practice.