May

A new, integrated approach to medical care developed by the BC Renal Agency is providing patients with ad­vanced kidney disease and additional chronic conditions with improv­ed, more coordinated treatment in a single location at a lower cost to the health care system.

The Alzheimer’s Drug Therapy Ini­tiative is conducting five research projects investigating the impact on cholinesterase inhibitors on patients and caregivers. These studies are each concerned with a different aspect of drug coverage and outcomes. 

New data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) are over 44 times more likely than other men to contract HIV, and over 40 times more likely than women to contract HIV. Further, MSM are over 46 times more likely to contract syphilis than other men, and over 71 times more likely than women to contract syphilis.

According to the CDC, MSM comprised 57% of people newly infected with HIV in the US in 2006, even though MSM are only 2% of the adult population.

The BC Perinatal Health Program (BCPHP) has revised several provincial perinatal forms. The revision has been completed for the Labour Partogram, a new Perinatal Triage and Assessment Record (formerly Maternal Assessment Record). A guide for completion of each of the forms is also available. As well, Revised Care Pathways for Postpartum and the Newborn will be available in the next few months.

I am afraid that the author of this article on medical ethics [BCMJ 2010;52(2):92-94] seems a little confused. It seems that she argues against legalization of euthanasia by looking at the ethical implications within the scope of “competence, autonomy, and beneficence.”