When working in their community offices, specialists can access free spoken language interpreting services as part of a 1-year pilot project, funded by the Specialist Services Committee (SSC)—a partnership of Doctors of BC and the BC government.

SSC is providing $50 000 for this pilot project in response to physicians’ feedback about supporting the delivery of safe and equitable patient care to diverse populations. Previously, this service was available to specialists who chose to pay privately or who work within the boundaries of health authority sites.

A chemotherapy drug known to cause hearing loss in children is more likely to do so the earlier in life children receive it. New UBC research has found that 75% of patients 5 years old and younger had experienced cisplatin-related hearing loss 3 years after starting therapy.

Cisplatin is a lifesaving treatment for many children with cancer, but a study published in Cancer shows that the hearing of very young children is impacted early during treatment and is affected to a greater extent than that of older children.

Suspected Lung Cancer in Primary Care

When speaking with our members about life insurance, I am often asked, “How much do I really need?” That depends on a few key areas of consideration, and there is no one-size-fits-all approach. An experienced advisor can walk you through your specific situation and will generally look at the following areas:

Thank you for your interest in phantom limb pain management. It is true that the original article did not detail the specific pharmacologic options, but as you noted, gabapentinoids, tricyclic antidepressants, and selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors are indeed commonly used agents for the management of neuropathic pain. Clinically, topical agents may be more effective for allodynia or hyperaesthesia. Injection options include corticosteroids, botulinum neurotoxin, and phenol (chemical nerve ablation) or thermal (radiofrequency or cryo) disruption of nerves.