Dr Gordon in her letter correctly highlights that the guidelines published in our recent article in the BCMJ are out of date.
When we submitted the manuscript we appended the guidelines as they were at the time of the data capture as that seemed appropriate, but we stand corrected that current information may be more helpful for the readership. The BCCA guidelines were updated last year; it was anticipated that they would be electronically available a number of months ago but due to complexities were not.
I would like to respond to [the letter "Disappointed in PITO vendors chosen"], BCMJ 2008;50:13-14.
Disappointment abounds in the wake of the PITO selection process; this has been felt by physician users and EMR vendors alike. Users of non-selected EMRs will not receive subsidies and fear that their investment of time and energy may be lost; vendors of non-selected EMRs see lost opportunity and fear the loss of current business.
The bag that the next issue of the BCMJ will be mailed in is biodegradable. The bags are made of the same plastic resin that most polyethylene or polypropylene bags are made of, but is combined with a compound (made by ECM Biofilms, Microtech Research) that makes the plastic biodegrade.
By Pauline Chen, MD. Toronto: Alfred A. Knopf, 2007. ISBN: 978-0-307-26353-7. Hardcover, 268 pages. $29.95.
“I see dead people” is not only a famous Hollywood line, but a reality for most physicians. We see and touch the dead and have their dying touch us. Dr Chen, an American surgeon, explores this issue in her book Final Exam.
