November

Libraries’ physical footprints are getting smaller, but their collections are growing virtually. Books have made the transition to electronic formats much more slowly than journals, but e-books now account for a substantial portion of most libraries’ collections. Regardless of the format, the value that books hold for clinical purposes must be judged by their currency, the authors’ qualifications, attribution to valid evidence, peer review, and transparency of conflicts of interest.

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“Doctor, can I see my chart?” The simple answer is, “Yes.” But it is actually a lot more complicated than that. I recently met with a patient who had a complex medical history, involving numerous specialists over the years. She hoped to seek a medical opinion from the Mayo Clinic for her ongoing unexplained neurological symptoms.

Both of my parents passed away this summer. They lived good lives and made it into their 80s, but it was still a shock to lose them so close together. It is a surreal experience to realize that this constant in your life doesn’t exist anymore. They were always only a phone call away, even if I didn’t make the call perhaps as often as I should have.

Two of Canada’s leading patient groups, the Gastrointestinal Society and the Canadian Society of Intestinal Research, are calling on patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) to participate in a survey to help identify what’s missing in their care. They are also asking Canadian patients with any inflammatory condition who take biologic/biosimilar medication to provide their opinions.